Following the death of her five-month-old son, a Hampshire mum is warning other mothers not to sleep with their babies. KATE THOMPSON reports.

IT WAS a spur-of-the-moment decision that Lora Bishop will pay for dearly for the rest of her life. Lying down on the bed, for what she supposed would be just a few minutes with her five-month-old son who was suffering with a cold, seemed like the most natural thing in the world to do.

She wanted to comfort him and give him a cuddle, while his twin sister, Emma, lay sleeping in her cot.

Lora, 26, from Highfield, lay on her back with little Luke on top of her, snuggling up and enjoying the comfort of being so close to his mother.

Of course, Lora knew of the risks of cot death and how babies should always sleep on their backs.

But this was different, she only meant to lie there for a few minutes with her child.

Sadly, they both fell asleep and Lora woke up to discover her son was dead.

Speaking exclusively to the Daily Echo, Lora said: "My mum had let herself into the house after work.

"When I woke up I could hear a noise downstairs. It sounded like a high-pitched squeaking sound it was my mum.

"She was hysterical she told me Luke wasn't breathing and she thought he was dead.

"When she came up to the room she thought we were both just sleeping but when she lifted him from me she knew immediately that something was wrong.

"She had called an ambulance and I can remember hearing the sirens and thinking everything would be all right when they got here," she said.

Lora went with Luke to the hospital. The ambulance team tried their best to revive him and at the hospital Lora was taken to a waiting room while the medical team attempted to resuscitate her baby.

"I was at the hospital for six hours. I don't remember them coming to tell me he was dead.

"The post-mortem report showed they tried for 35 minutes to revive him but there were never any vital signs.

"They believe he had been dead for a couple of hours It was about 2pm when we lay down so I think he died at about 3pm," she said.

It was five weeks before Luke's funeral could be held. An expert had to perform a paediatric post-mortem to try to decide how Luke had died.

In the intervening weeks, Lora visited her son at least twice a week.

"I couldn't bear the thought of him being alone. I don't think going and seeing him so often and seeing his body deteriorate in such a way did anything to help my mental state but I had to do it for him," she said.

"I was scared every time I went there but I just needed to hold him and cuddle him."

When it came time for his funeral to be held, Lora insisted on placing her son in his specially made wicker coffin.

"I didn't want him to have a normal coffin I couldn't bear that. I wanted him to be in a bed it was a rectangular wicker basket and I filled it with toys and chocolate.

"He wore a necklace round his neck it had half a gold heart on a chain and I've got the other half.

"I wear it at the moment and when she's old enough I will give it to Emma to wear," she said.

Now, as she endeavours to come to terms with the death of her son, Lora believes passionately that parents should be made more aware of the risks.

"Poor Luke had the odds stacked against him from the start.

"Statistically, boys are more at risk than girls.

"He was born with hydrocephalus but the post-mortem report showed that, while he appeared to have had a seizure, the hydrocephalus didn't kill him.

"It also revealed he had laryngitis the fact he was blocked up with the cold did not help him, either.

"I don't want anybody else to experience this. You should never have to place your baby son in a coffin it's just so wrong," she said.

Lora is urging all parents with young babies to be aware of the risks of cot death and never sleep with their babies in bed or on the sofa.

Her daughter, Emma, now wears a monitor so her sleeping can be checked and if she stops breathing an alarm sounds.

"I used to be terrified whenever I saw Emma asleep but now she is wearing a monitor I feel a lot more relaxed.

"When new mums are buying their Moses baskets and buggies before the birth of their child I think they should buy a monitor, too.

"I blame myself for what happened to my son because I took him to bed my world fell apart when he died," she said.

For more information on cot death go to www.sids.org.uk/fsid/ And for information on a baby monitor, priced at £69.99, go to www. respisense.com and UK distributor www.retail-therapy.com.

First published 14th March 2006