A coroner has decided that a three-week-old infant choked to death while being carried by his mom in a cloth sling.
Harvey McGlinn was discovered immobile and colorless in 2019 at a community health service on the NSW Central Coast after his mother, Tattika Dunn, untied the sling she was wearing.
Staff hurriedly tried CPR on the infant, but he could not be saved.
The facts show that Harvey’s neck posture, with his chin on his chest, obstructed his airway, the coroner said in his conclusions, which were published.
Harvey’s very low weight may have resulted in reduced muscular and head control, leading to problems keeping a patent airway from the way Harvey was placed in the sling, the researchers speculate.
Ms Dunn’s third child with fiance Bill McGlinn was born. Seth and Bailey, the couple’s twins, are also present.
It’s still extremely raw, and her heart feels broken in a million pieces, Ms Dunn wrote on Facebook after her son died.
Ms Dunn refused to participate in the inquiry, although there is no evidence that she broke her obligation of care.
Both the health center employees and the product maker were likewise exonerated.
The sling came with a choking warning and an instruction leaflet that stated newborns should be held upright in the device with their chin off their parents’ chest.
After the death of the little child, the coroner stated that NSW Health changed its guidance on the hazards of infant slings.
Deborah Matha, NSW Health’s director of maternity, child and family, said at the inquiry that prohibiting slings was the only way to entirely minimize the danger, but that doing so would be nearly difficult owing to cultural and disability reasons for women using slings.
Since Harvey’s death, the abbreviation TICKS has been created to help other parents escape the same tragedy.
Tight, in view, close, keep chin off chest, and supported are the acronyms for TICKS.
