'I couldn't hate someone enough to wish this on them'
SEATTLE - Little Cathleen Heneghan lived for just 12 short weeks.
Her mother, Ann Heneghan, kept the baby girl in a sling across her chest while running an errand in Puyallup.
After she was done, she went to put the baby in the car. But the infant girl wasn't moving.
"And she was gone. She wasn't breathing. Her skin was sallow, and she had this discharge from her right nostril," said Ann Heneghan.
Cathleen Heneghan was put on life support but died a few days later.
"I don't think I have ever been - or will ever be - as happy as I was in those months I had her," said her mother.
Cathleen Heneghan's death is one of more than a dozen nationwide calling attention to those popular sling-style baby carriers.
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, certain slings can restrict a baby's breathing, causing them to suffocate.
Another scenario involves slings where the baby is cradled in a curved or "C-like" position, nestling the baby below mom's chest or near her belly. That curved position can cause a baby who doesn't have strong neck control to flop its head forward, chin-to-chest, restricting the infant's ability to breathe.
"The baby will not be able to cry for help and can slowly suffocate," warned the commission.
Lisa Cochran of Oregon lost her 6-day-old son after he suffocated in a sling. She is now suing the company who made it.
Ann Heneghan isn't looking for a lawsuit; she just wants into to what the problem is that's caused so many parents so much pain.
"I couldn't hate someone enough to wish this on them. It's not possible," she said.
Experts say not all slings are dangerous, especially those that keep the baby in an upright position.
For more information:
Infant deaths prompt gov't warning on slings
Her mother, Ann Heneghan, kept the baby girl in a sling across her chest while running an errand in Puyallup.
After she was done, she went to put the baby in the car. But the infant girl wasn't moving.
"And she was gone. She wasn't breathing. Her skin was sallow, and she had this discharge from her right nostril," said Ann Heneghan.
Cathleen Heneghan was put on life support but died a few days later.
"I don't think I have ever been - or will ever be - as happy as I was in those months I had her," said her mother.
Cathleen Heneghan's death is one of more than a dozen nationwide calling attention to those popular sling-style baby carriers.
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, certain slings can restrict a baby's breathing, causing them to suffocate.
Another scenario involves slings where the baby is cradled in a curved or "C-like" position, nestling the baby below mom's chest or near her belly. That curved position can cause a baby who doesn't have strong neck control to flop its head forward, chin-to-chest, restricting the infant's ability to breathe.
"The baby will not be able to cry for help and can slowly suffocate," warned the commission.
Lisa Cochran of Oregon lost her 6-day-old son after he suffocated in a sling. She is now suing the company who made it.
Ann Heneghan isn't looking for a lawsuit; she just wants into to what the problem is that's caused so many parents so much pain.
"I couldn't hate someone enough to wish this on them. It's not possible," she said.
Experts say not all slings are dangerous, especially those that keep the baby in an upright position.
For more information:
Infant deaths prompt gov't warning on slings