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Tragic 'sudden unexpected death in infants' after baby Jaxon Baldwin failed to wake up

A distraught couple woke to find one of their five-week-old baby boys unresponsive.

Little Jaxon Baldwin and twin brother Joey were born to mother Lauren Meyer a month premature on March 16 at London’s Kingston Hospital because there wasn’t a bed free at Pembury Hospital.

Mother Lauren had experienced liver issues prompting the early birth and, despite Jaxon growing slower than normal during pregnancy, all was well with the boys and they returned home the next day.

Martin Hardie Way. Picture: Google Street View
Martin Hardie Way. Picture: Google Street View

Detective Sergeant Stuart Briggs told an inquest at Maidstone’s Archbishop’s Palace that police and ambulance crews were called to a flat in Martin Hardie Way, Tonbridge, after Jaxon did not wake up on the morning of Friday, April 20.

He said on the previous evening Jaxon was fed at 10pm.

He went to bed with his mother, brother and father Joshua Baldwin. Daughter Lara, three, slept next to them.

While the couple had been warned by health visitors about the dangers of co-sleeping, Lauren was breast feeding the twins and had taken all the steps she could to alleviate any risks.

Coroner for north west Kent Roger Hatch was told she found breast feeding to be better for the babies’ health but found co-sleeping to be the best way of doing that efficiently.

Jaxon was fed at 10pm and again at midnight and Joey at 1am.

At 4am the couple awoke to find Jaxon unresponsive. Joshua, who was trained in CPR, began performing the procedure and the ambulance was called.

Two crews turned up alongside police and Jaxon was taken to Pembury Hospital, but sadly medics could not revive him. They noticed rigor mortis had already set in and it was possible he had been dead before his parents woke up.

"This was tragic and unexpected. I witnessed how devoted and devastated his parents were" - DS Briggs

A post-mortem carried out by Dr Andreas Marnerides recorded the cause of Jaxon’s death as sudden unexpected death in infants.

DS Briggs said a police investigation ruled out any suspicious circumstances and concluded Lauren had done all she could to reduce the risk of co-sleeping.

He added: “This was tragic and unexpected. I cannot say what caused Jaxon’s death but I witnessed how devoted and devastated his parents were.”

Mr Hatch recorded Jaxon’s death was the result of natural causes.

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