A five-month-old girl named Nancy died after her mother fell asleep while breastfeeding her at 4am on August 16 last year, with the baby having a pillow over her face upon discovery. The mother had consumed five glasses of wine the previous day. An inquest concluded that there was no evidence to suggest unsafe sleep practices directly caused Nancy's death but emphasized increased risks when co-sleeping after alcohol consumption.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-05,
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Story summary
A five-month-old girl named Nancy died on August 16, 2022, after her mother, Poppy Hamilton, fell asleep while breastfeeding her in bed. Ms. Hamilton had consumed five or six glasses of wine the previous night and moved Nancy to her bed at around 4am during a heatwave when the baby was having trouble sleeping. When she woke up at 8am, Nancy was unresponsive with a pillow over her face. Despite emergency CPR administered by paramedics and Nancy's grandfather, who is a trained medical professional, Nancy could not be saved.
The Bournemouth Coroners Court held an inquest where the South Western Ambulance Service’s Bryan Merry reported that Ms. Hamilton had fallen asleep while feeding Nancy. Detective Sergeant Lee Emery stated it was inappropriate to launch a criminal investigation due to the circumstances of heat and a restless baby. An extensive post-mortem examination did not determine Nancy's exact cause of death, leading coroner Brendan Allen to highlight increased risks associated with co-sleeping when parents are under the influence of alcohol.
Written for “Child Death Due to Neglect” on 2026-10-05,
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A five-month-old baby girl died after her mother fell asleep while breastfeeding having drunk five glasses of wine, an inquest has heard.
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inquest → die → wine
Poppy Hamilton, from Weymouth, Dorset, moved her daughter Nancy into her bed at 4am on August 16 last year as the baby struggled to sleep during a heatwave.
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baby → move → heatwave
But as she was breastfeeding the child, the mother fell asleep.
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mother → breastfeed → child
Ms Hamilton woke up at 8am and discovered her baby unresponsive with a pillow over her face.
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baby → wake → face
Paramedics and Nancy's grandfather, a trained medical professional who lived across the road, rushed to the home and the baby was given emergency CPR, but was pronounced dead at the scene.
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baby → train → scene
The inquest in Bournemouth heard her mother had drunk five or six glasses of wine the previous day.
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mother → hear → wine
An extensive post-mortem examination was carried out which could not ascertain Nancy's medical cause of death.
uncertain
which → carry → death
Dorset coroner Brendan Allen, in his conclusion, highlighted the increased risks of a young child coming to harm when co-sleeping with a parent under the influence of alcohol.
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child → highlight → alcohol
The inquest at Bournemouth Coroners Court heard five-month-old Nancy died after her mother fell asleep while breastfeeding having drunk five glasses of wine
He said: 'There is no evidence that unsafe sleep practices contributed to Nancy's death.
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practices → hear → death
It is important however that it is recognised that co-sleeping following alcohol consumption does increase the risk of a child coming to harm in general terms.
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child → recognise → terms
'While that is not necessarily relevant to Nancy's death it is an important reminder to parents of young children that there are risks associated with co-sleeping following alcohol consumption.
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it → be → consumption
'Midwives, health visitors and GPs can provide important information on safe sleeping for parents of young children.'
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Midwives → provide → children
The inquest heard that Nancy, who had an abnormal heart but was considered a healthy baby, had struggled to sleep during the heatwave in August last year as temperatures soared to 30C.
She had been put in her cot at 7.30pm on the night of August 16.
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She → hear → August
She woke up 45 minutes later so her parents took her downstairs and she played on her mat until she fell asleep again between 10 and 11pm.
Nancy was put in her cot but woke again at 4am in a 'grizzly' mood.
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Nancy → wake → mood
Her mother brought her into the double bed next to the cot in Nancy's room and started to breastfeed her, using two pillows for support.
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mother → bring → support
Nancy's father Daniel had been looking after the couple's older child in another bedroom who had also woken during the night.
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who → look → night
When paramedics arrived they encountered the 'distraught' mother and the father in a state of 'shock'.
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they → arrive → shock
Bryan Merry, emergency ambulance associate at South Western Ambulance Service, said: 'The mother said she fell asleep whilst feeding Nancy and when she woke up there was a pillow on her face.'
Detective Sergeant Lee Emery, who spoke to Nancy's parents following the death, told the inquest it was not appropriate to launch a criminal investigation into the tragedy.
He said: 'At that time it had been extremely hot from memory and they had been experiencing a grisly baby who had been waking a lot.
'
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who → say → baby
The mother said there had been some co-sleeping which from a child protection aspect is not ideal but does happen.
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which → say → aspect
At 4am Nancy woke up and was grisly.
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Nancy → wake → am
Poppy brought Nancy from the cot into the bed and put two pillows behind her head.
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Poppy → bring → head
She places Nancy in her arms and breastfeeds her.
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She → place → her
'Poppy said it was normal for them to consume some alcohol at the weekend.
'
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them → say → weekend
She said she had drunk five or six glasses of wine over the course of the previous day.'
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she → say → day
He said the home was a 'loving environment for Nancy and her sibling' and it was not deemed appropriate to investigate further.
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it → say → Nancy
Samantha Holden, consultant pediatrician at Southampton General Hospital, who carried out the post-mortem examination, told the inquest: 'I was aware of the circumstances and it does raise the possibility of a sleep related incident.
'
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it → carry → incident
There is an increased risk of an infant death when babies co-sleep with parents, and in this case when the parent had alcohol.
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parent → be → alcohol
There is the possibility of overlay in child or overheating but being able to prove that is very difficult and babies do die suddenly and unexpectedly from medical causes of death such [as] an arrhythmia or a seizure which can't be excluded.'
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which → be → arrhythmia
Mr Allen recorded an open conclusion, adding: 'There is insufficient evidence for me to reach one of the other possible conclusions on the basis that the medical cause of death is unascertained.'
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cause → record → death
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