A baby girl less than one month old has died after her mother fell asleep while she was feeding, prompting a coroner to issue a warning to parents.

The 25-day-old girl, who has not been identified, died after her mother drifted off while sat up in bed at 3.30am.

Northampton coroner was told the little girl was born by emergency caesarean last June weighing 8lbs 7oz.

The inquest heard her mother, from Daventry, had previously been told she was unable to have children.

The Northampton Chronicle quoted the mother's statement, saying: “My partner and I were so surprised when we were told I was pregnant.”

Previously sleeping and feeding well, in the days leading up to her death she was described as “clingy and whingy” by her mother and cried when she was put down, the inquest heard.

Sleeping in a cot next to her parents’ bed, her mother said she was woken up for the third time in the early hours of the morning one night in July last year.

She said: "At around 3.30am, I carried her to bed with me. I sat up and held her in my arms while I fed her. I didn't mean to fall asleep.

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"She was lying on the mattress next to my hip. She wasn't breathing.

"I woke my partner and he called 999. I don't remember much of what happened after that."

Waking up around 7.15am she found her daughter lying face down next to her.

Despite paramedics being called there was nothing that could be done to save the little girl.

HM Coroner Anne Pember said: "She was found lying on her front on the mattress. A post-mortem found evidence that her airway had been blocked.

"This was an accidental death and the mother had no intention of falling asleep.

“Very often, parents will carry their newborn babies to bed with no consequences, but the public must know about the dangers of holding babies in this way.