Coroner is told of boy's last night

The foster mum who found 11-week-old baby Cohen Parker dead on her bed wept as she told the coroner's court in Palmerston North yesterday how she had worked the night before, leaving the baby with the man she hoped would be a sperm donor.

The woman, whose name was suppressed by coroner Tim Scott, had cared for the five-week premature baby who had been exposed to methadone during pregnancy since his discharge from hospital after his birth in January 2009.

He was in Child, Youth and Family custody, with his foster placement managed by the Christian-based Open Home Foundation. He died on March 28, with his death attributed to sudden infant death syndrome.

The coroner's hearing that continues today is exploring the circumstances leading up to his death in care.

The foster mother gave her evidence while the baby's birth mother was excluded from the court room, and was provided with an escort home afterwards.

She and her husband had separated a few weeks after baby Cohen was placed with them.

She worried Open Home staff might remove the baby from her care when she alerted them to the separation. They didn't, but general manager for service delivery Lee Roberts said later that had Open Home known the relationship was in trouble before the placement, it might have made a different choice.

The woman said she wanted to become pregnant herself and had explored fertility help options before meeting the man she hoped would be a sperm donor. It was a business relationship, she said.

The man, who didn't appear despite a summons, said in a written statement he and the foster mother began "officially going out" about a month before Cohen died. He babysat on the night before the death so she could go to work for four hours, despite a firm instruction from Open Home that she should not work in paid employment while caring for Cohen.

The man checked the baby several times, and he was OK.

The foster mother went to bed alone, with the baby in his bassinet in her room. When he woke around 5am, she offered him a feed, but he didn't want one. She had "cuddle time" with him on her bed, wrapped him in his own blanket, and settled him on the bed.

She removed pillows, kept him free from the duvet, and put him a safe distance away so she would not roll on him. She fell asleep until 10am. When she woke the baby was lying oddly, his face was mottled, he was a blue-grey colour, and she called 111.

The woman faced questions about her knowledge of bed-sharing risks, about why she felt compelled to go to work, and whether she was coping with the household and housework.

She was questioned about her approach to a woman Open Home had not yet approved as a caregiver about whether she could babysit.

"This for me is little stuff," she said. "This is not bringing the baby back."

Ms Roberts faces more questions about the handling of baby Cohen's foster placement today.

- © Fairfax NZ News