Jess Hardiman
A newborn baby has tragically died while lying in bed with his father – just two months after his mum passed away.
Little Dexter Khan-Barnes was rushed to hospital after he was found in bed with floppy arms and discoloured eyes.
However, sadly he was pronounced dead.
Dexter was born on 29 May at 32 weeks and spent about six weeks in the neonatal unit before being discharged with his dad Shane Khan.
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His mum Laura Barnes suddenly died after suffering a blood clot when she gave birth to her son via caesarean section, with her mother Jennifer Barnes saying she had suffered a stroke months earlier.
However, just weeks later, the family had to go through further heartbreak when newborn Dexter also died in the night.
Jennifer said all her daughter ever wanted was to become a mother, adding that at least she was now together with her son after being unable to meet in their lifetimes.
An inquest into Dexter’s tragic passing at Blackburn Old Town Hall on Wednesday (7 June) heard that no cause of death could be identified.
The day before he died, Dexter was checked over by a nurse, who found him to be in good health when she visited the house.
That night, dad Shane took him upstairs with two bottles ready for when the infant woke in the night, as he had done the day before.
Dexter was placed in his dad’s bed alongside his 14-month-old brother, with Shane saying he started the night sleeping horizontally across the foot of the bed.
Summing up evidence from the investigation, coroner Richard Taylor said Shane had moved to lay next to Dexter at around 4am.
He awoke again at around 5.30am, finding it unusual that Dexter’s arm was not moving as he normally would when hungry.
He then noticed that his baby’s arms were floppy and eyes discoloured, with emergency services called to the house before Dexter was rushed to Royal Blackburn Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
A post-mortem carried out by pathologist Dr William Simmons was unable to ascertain a cause of death.
He also found no evidence of prior illness or injuries that could have contributed.
Speaking during the inquest, Jennifer said concerns were raised within the family over the risks of co-sleeping.
Summarising Dr Simmons' evidence, Mr Taylor said: "In these circumstance, it is not possible to completely exclude accidental air obstruction as having caused to contributed to Dexter's death. As such, the cause of death remains unascertained."
Concluding, Mr Taylor said: "Dexter Khan-Barnes died on July 30, 2022 at Royal Blackburn Hospital having been found unresponsive at his home in the bed he shared with his brother."