An actress has spoken about the devastating night her baby son tragically passed away.
Dublin actress Leigh Arnold, who stars in Irish drama The Clinic, told an inquest yesterday she returned to her Cheshire home after dinner with a friend at 1am to find her fiancé Steve Davies asleep with their newborn baby Flynn lying in his arms.
The actress said the baby was going grey in the face.
Speaking at her son’s inquest, Leigh recalled the horrific moment, saying, "I could tell by the colour of his face that something was wrong. I screamed an awful lot. I don't remember much after that."
Leigh’s fiancé Steve said, "I awoke to find Leigh in hysterics. Flynn wasn't himself. He was grey in the face."
He then tried to resuscitate Flynn, taking instruction from a 999 operator.
The newborn made "a gurgling noise" during resuscitation, sparking hope he was coming round, but paediatrician Dr Catherine Lenton told Coroner Dr Janet Napier this was just air leaving the baby's body and he could not be saved.
Paramedics rushed Flynn to Wythenshawe Hospital, where he died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or cot death, at 2.25am on May 18th, last year.
The heartbroken mum, who has another son, Hunter, aged two, said, “Flynn was a perfect baby. He was healthy and extremely loved every second of the day."
A post-mortem investigation found a possible broken rib, but pathologist Gauri Batra told the coroner it was "not suspicious".
Coroner Napier returned a verdict of death by natural causes at Macclesfield Town Hall.
She said, "I want to say that I understand how this feels for you but I can't imagine what it feels like."
