A MOTHER has told how she felt "nothing but guilt and shame" after her seven-week-old daughter died in a cot.

Esther Roseman has spoken for the first time about the loss of her baby Grace, who is believed to have suffocated after moving her neck over the edge of her crib, cutting off the oxygen to her brain. She was found with her neck resting on the partially lowered side of a Bednest crib on April 9, 2015 and a provisional cause of death of asphyxia was given,

Mrs Roseman spoke to a national newspaper ahead of the five-day inquest into the death of her daughter which is due to being on December 14.

The 39-year-old, of Haywards Heath, said: "Immediately following Grace's tragic death, as her mother, I felt nothing but guilt, self-blame, shame and judged. I felt tortured that I didn't have the choice of ending my life because I could not be that selfish to my family."

Just 15 days after the death the West Sussex coroner Penelope Schofield issued a report expressing concern over the bedside cot - which had been endorsed by the National Children’s Trust (NCT) - saying urgent action must be taken to prevent future deaths. The cot, which cost around £300, has been recalled in America and Canada but not in the UK.

Mrs Roseman also said other babies could be at risk and parents who bought the cot second-hand may not have access to the latest safety information. She urged them to throw the cot away.

She added: "When it first happened I had some sympathy for Bednest, assuming it too would be mortified and remorseful. Unfortunately, the company does not appear to believe the design of the cot caused Grace's death."

The company maintain the product - which has a moveable panel on one side which can be folded down, leaving a ridge just 7cm high - was not unsafe. It did, however, issue a safety modification, reportedly two screws and a screwdriver, to all customers registered as having bought a cot.

The NCT continued to reassure parents there was "no evidence of any fault with the cot" on its website until November last year.

The family's lawyer Jill Greenfield said the company had "made clear" it did not accept the cot "was in any way to blame". She told The Sunday Times she hoped the coroner's ruling would provide answers, but added: "Answers will never be enough to resolve their [the family's] pain."

Background

IN July the style of bedside crib linked to the death last year was found on sale in Sussex.

The Bednest crib was spotted in a charity shop in East Grinstead without essential safety modifications.

Last year the company notified its known customers about a modification kit which prevents the sides from being partially lowered to remove any possibility of a risk of asphyxiation.

The company maintain the product is not unsafe but issued the modification as a precaution.

Anyone who sees second hand Bednest cribs should call Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 03454 040506 or visit westsussex.gov.uk/tsreport.