'It has destroyed our family' - Peterborough parents open up on heartbreaking reality of losing a child to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

Layke Blossom Reynolds (born on July 22) was barely two months old when she passed away to SIDS on September 24.

Her parents Ria Moore and Tiffany Rey have said that her loss has destroyed their family but that they are determined to speak out in order to raise awareness of SIDS and to try and to save babies for other families.

SIDS- sometimes known as cot death- is the sudden, unexpected and unexplained death of an apparently healthy baby. Around 200 babies a year in the UK die suddenly, most in their first six months but it can affect babies as old as 12 months.

The exact cause is unknown but experts believe that SIDS occurs at a particular stage in a baby's development and potential vulnerabilities can include being born prematurely or having a low birthweight as well as environmental stresses such as tobacco smoke, getting tangled in bedding, a minor illness or a breathing obstruction.

SEE: Medical advice on the causes and potential prevention of SIDS

Speaking about Layke’s loss, her mother Ria said: “We want to see more awareness of SIDS because you hear about it but you hear from so people that have actually been through it.

"We had a beautiful, healthy pregnancy and an amazing birth. Layke brought light into our lives and gave us back a purpose and lightened up our life.

“We did what we could to reduce the risks but unfortunately, Layke did pass away and it has destroyed our family.

“It was the morning, my partner Tiffany felt her and she was cold. I went to look at her and I knew she was gone. It was a massive shock; rigor mortis had set in, it was really traumatic. She was stiff as a board, blue and had been gone for a few hours.

"We tried CPR but our little girl was gone. It had to be the most traumatic experience of our lives. We are heartbroken. Layke saved us, as we are two women, we waited so long for our little Laykey to arrive and I will never forget how happy we were when we found out we would be adding a new addition to our family.

“I just thought, how on earth could this happen? Everywhere we look is a reminder of where she was.

“We had all got to a really happy place. The first few weeks were stressful but, by the time we got to two months, it was perfect and now she’s gone.

"I just can’t believe she is gone because there was nothing wrong with her. I have videos of her not even 24 hours before she died and she was absolutely fine.

“SIDS is a real thing that is happening, it is not an outdated thing. It is not spoken about enough.

“We had to wait a whole month for a post-mortem, which was an awful process. For some people, this can mean they can not bury their child for six or seven months.”

The loss of Layke has also had a profound impact on her big sister Wynter, who is only a toddler herself. Alongside the loss of Layke, the family have also been dealing with recent tragedies which has seen Tiffany lose both of her parents in the past three years.

All of this has left the couple feeling as if they need to leave their family home in Peterborough, where there is now just too many painful memories.

Speaking further about the important of raising awareness for SIDS, Ria said: “I think people don’t talk about it because its too painful. The only reason I know about it is because of one post on Tik Tok. The Lullaby Trust do a lot on SIDS but there is still not enough out there because people don’t think it is going to happen to them.

"People need to speak about this a lot more, especially in hospitals, not one person mentioned SIDS to me while I was pregnant.

"Hopefully one day they will be able to tell me why my baby is no longer here.”

A GoFundMe page has been started to help Layke’s family make a fresh start and get the support they need following her death. To support this, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-for-our-family-to-move-house-and-have-a-fresh-start.