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Woman found dead with baby told loved ones about stress over pumping milk, son's jaundice: Coroner's court

The woman had conceived her son after suffering a miscarriage years earlier, but felt overwhelmed and was also stressed over his jaundice and pumping enough breast milk.

Woman found dead with baby told loved ones about stress over pumping milk, son's jaundice: Coroner's court

File photo of the State Courts in Singapore. (Photo: Calvin Oh)

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Warning: This story contains references to suicide and suicidal ideation. 

SINGAPORE: After suffering a miscarriage, a woman visited a fertility clinic for checks, and later successfully conceived and gave birth to a healthy baby boy.

However, she felt overwhelmed and worried about being unable to take care of her newborn son, despite hiring a confinement nanny and a domestic helper.

She also worried about his persistent jaundice and her own struggles with pumping enough breast milk.

In a note left for her son, the 33-year-old Singaporean woman wrote that she loved him and that he was not a mistake.

The woman was found dead at the foot of a Housing Board (HDB) block in December last year, about a metre away from her three-week-old son.

A coroner's inquiry into the twin deaths opened on Tuesday (Aug 6), with the investigating officer sharing how those around the woman suspected she was suffering from postpartum depression.

The police believe the case to be one of "suicide-cum-infanticide", and do not suspect any foul play.

State Coroner Adam Nakhoda imposed a gag order on the case preventing the publication of anything that can identify the deceased or witnesses.

Sharing his investigative findings with the court, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Ang Yu Shen said the mother lived in a flat with her husband and son, who was born in November 2023.

The boy was the couple's only child, and they hired a maid and a confinement nanny to help care for him.

On the morning of Dec 3 last year, the confinement nanny prepared breakfast for the mother before showing her how to change her son's diaper.

The father was still asleep in the master bedroom, said ASP Ang.

A masseuse arrived later to give the mother one of her scheduled daily postpartum massages.

After that, the nanny taught the mother how to bathe the baby. 

The mother then told the nanny to go to a nearby supermarket to buy groceries and milk powder.

The nanny noted that there was still milk powder at home, but thought the woman wanted more in case she could not produce enough breast milk for the baby.

The nanny left the flat and returned from her errands at about 11.15am. She later saw police officers at the void deck and did not think much about it. But when she got to the flat, she saw a padlock on the metal gate that she did not recognise.

She rang the doorbell until the father woke up. He was equally surprised to see the padlock, which his wife had purchased months earlier but had never used.

The father then noticed a card in the house that had a six-digit number and an object resembling a padlock printed on it. He managed to unlock the padlock after using the numbers.

The nanny told him that she had seen many police cars downstairs, and the man went down to check as neither of them could find the mother or child at home.

The police officers later informed the man that his wife and son had died.

The nanny went to the kitchen and found the window open as usual, but noticed that the laundry left to dry had been shifted aside to create a clear path, and a usually stowed away plastic chair was placed in front of the window.

Neighbours who spoke to the police did not observe any sign of a dispute.

SUSPECTED POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION

Witnesses and relatives who had spent time with the mother before her death said she was worried about not being able to take care of her newborn son, and suspected she had postpartum depression.

Two weeks after the boy was born, the mother told her husband that she felt stressed and overwhelmed taking care of the baby, ASP Ang said.

In particular, she was worried about the boy's jaundice and the pumping of breast milk.

The woman told her husband that she was "going back and forth" between having a clear mind and a foggy mind, and that when her mind was foggy, she was not herself.

She told her husband at one point that she was having "dark thoughts" and wanted to throw herself away, which her husband felt was alluding to suicide.

However, as the man thought his wife was displaying some degree of self-awareness, he thought the situation was not serious enough to warrant seeking help, ASP Ang said.

During her first massage session, the mother became emotional and cried, telling the masseuse that she had suffered a miscarriage five years ago and had been trying very hard to conceive since then.

After this, the masseuse was careful not to trigger the mother's emotions and felt she was depressed.

The confinement nanny saw the mother crying multiple times at home and saw that she was overwhelmed.

When she asked the mother why she was crying, the woman replied that she was afraid she would not be able to take care of her son well.

Based on her experience, the confinement nanny felt the mother was suffering from some degree of postpartum depression.

The maid agreed and said the mother was stressed over her son's jaundice and how she could not pump breast milk.

The mother also told her younger sister that she felt stressed about taking care of her son.

She said she wanted to begin feeding him formula milk, as she did not want to go through the hassle of pumping breast milk, and her sister told her there was no issue with this.

However, the mother expressed guilt and felt that she was a lazy mother.

She also asked her sister and mother whether they would take care of her son if she did not want him anymore.

Both women did not reply the late mother, instead assuring her that everything would be okay.

When the mother's younger sister visited her again, she overheard the woman talking to her son while feeding him.

She said her son's name, adding: "You are not a mistake."

The woman also told her mother that she was unable to keep her son alive. She said it was "difficult for her" and that she needed prayers. Her mother consoled her, but the woman repeated the same thing to her on a second occasion.

About a week before the woman died, she told her mother that she felt incapable of taking care of her son. 

MEDICAL REPORTS AND VISITS

According to medical reports, the mother was never seen for any mental health issues, nor was she facing any medical conditions at the time of her death.

Past records showed that she visited a hospital for a benign breast condition in 2018 or 2019.

She visited another hospital after suspecting pregnancy in February 2018, but later tested negative.

She was seen at a private hospital in December 2018 after a diagnosis of a molar pregnancy - a rare complication of pregnancy involving unusual cell growth.

She then visited a fertility clinic in 2022 and later conceived in March 2023. She was pregnant from April 2023 until she gave birth, with her pregnancy and delivery noted to be uneventful.

Her son visited a clinic three times in November last year for jaundice, before visiting another clinic for the same condition.

His last visit for jaundice at a polyclinic was in December 2023, and he was advised to go for a follow-up check in five days, but he did not return.

Both mother and son were found to have died from injuries consistent with a fall from height. She is believed to have carried her son with her, and no drugs or alcohol were found in their urine.

ASP Ang said the police reviewed all facts and circumstances and did not suspect any foul play in their deaths.

The mother was noted to be experiencing "a great deal of stress and some form of postpartum depression" and decided to end her own life along with her son.

The coroner will deliver his findings at a later date, saying he wished to give more detailed findings in this case.

Editor's note: This article has been updated to remove certain details relating to the deceased and her family.

Where to get help:

Samaritans of Singapore Hotline: 1767

Institute of Mental Health’s Helpline: 6389 2222

Singapore Association for Mental Health Helpline: 1800 283 7019

You can also find a list of international helplines here. If someone you know is at immediate risk, call 24-hour emergency medical services.

Those who need advice or information on breastfeeding can visit the Breastfeeding Mothers' Support Group or HealthHub websites.
Source: CNA/ll(sn)

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