Despite clear and frequent warnings from doctors about how dangerous and even deadly co-sleeping can be for a baby, one Pennsylvania mother decided to ignore doctors and nurses because she felt she knew what was best for her own child.
In 2011, mom Jessica Harper tragically lost her two-month-old son Nicholas after placing him on the couch covered in a blanket to sleep. While baby and Harper’s three other kids slept, she had gone upstairs and only remembered to check on the baby two hours later. She found him unresponsive and blue on the couch, and had to serve 85 days in jail because he dies by “positional asphyxiation.”
Harper had been haunted by what happened to her baby boy and when she gave birth to another son two months ago, she was determined to never leave her baby alone like that as he slept. “[Jessica] was fearful that she wouldn’t be there if he needed her, especially after what happened to the last one. She had been having bad dreams about it,” Haper’s mother said.
After giving birth to baby Hunter, doctors and nurses made Haper watch safety videos, explained how dangerous co-sleeping was, and even made her sign documents saying she understood the dangers. Harper dismissed every warning, and decided co-sleeping was the best option for her newborn son.
Tragically, however, at 2 months old, Hunter was found dead after co-sleeping in between Harper and her three-year-old daughter. Harper is now being charged with third-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, and endangering the welfare of a child, and is facing 20-40 years in prison.
“The reason she did it, I truly believe, is that she thought he was safer with her than on his own,” Harper’s mom said.
Do you think this mom deserves to be punished for her son’s death? Let us know what you think in the comments below, and please SHARE this with parents on Facebook to warn them of the dangers of co-sleeping.
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Mom Charged With Murder After Second Baby Dies While Sleeping is an article from: LifeDaily