Canberra mother appearing at inquest into son's death admits using heroin during pregnancy

The three month old died in his bassinet on June 25, 2017.

The baby and his mother were residents at the time at Karinya House, an organisation that supports pregnant women and women with young babies in crisis.

After his birth the baby needed treatment for neonatal abstinence syndrome because of his mother's use of methadone, but was later discharged to Karinya House where he was cared for by his mother.

The boy was, up until his death, a happy and healthy baby and his death was unexpected, counsel assisting the coroner Sarah Baker-Goldsmith told the ACT Coroner's Court at the opening of the inquest on Wednesday.

On the day he died, his mother said she bottle fed him about 5.30am and put him back to bed before she fell asleep on the couch. At 11am she woke and found him on his back but not breathing. There was foam around his mouth and he was cold to touch.

Staff at Karinya House tried to resuscitate the boy while his mother called an ambulance, but paramedics could not revive him.

The baby was the mother's youngest of five, all of whom were now in care and protection, and the father's youngest of four.

An autopsy determined no cause of death.

There was no evidence of drugs in the boy's bloodstream but there was the metabolite unique to heroin in a sample of the baby's hair.

As the case progressed the police approach changed from a coronial investigation to a criminal, and then back to a coronial when the heroin was found to be in the baby's hair but not blood.

Just two weeks ago, police questioned the baby's mother while she was in the Alexander Maconochie Centre about an allegation she neglected her baby by using heroin.

The mother had been on methadone during her pregnancy and afterwards but had been missing drug tests in the months leading up to the child's death, the inquest heard.

The times she was tested, there was sometimes no methadone metabolites detected, though she was still on the methadone program. The mother has admitted to sometimes using someone else's urine to supply clean samples.

On June 2, staff discussed with her the anomalies in her urine but she said she did not give them an explanation. It was suggested to her that she was warned about missing another and told she would receive a warning letter and possibly be evicted.

In the week before the boy's death, the mother had been tested twice and both times there had been the presence of a morphine metabolite unique to heroin in the woman's urine sample.

Giving evidence on Wednesday, the mother admitted she used heroin during her pregnancy though she knew she should not.

She spoke of her desire to bring the baby up and her fear that care and protection would "swoop in pretty hard" and take him away.

The mother admitted she had not been compliant with care and protection, that she was not comfortable around them and not sure what to tell them or not to tell them.

She told the court she did not tell anyone that she was using heroin after the baby was born.

She said she struggled to produce enough breastmilk to feed her boy even though it was encouraged at the hospital and Karinya House.

She denied ever having given the baby heroin.

"No, no way. I would never do that," she said.

"Because I loved [my son]."

Counsel for Karinya House John Purnell SC said the organisation was ready to assist the inquest in whatever way it was able. The organisation, since it was established in 1997, has helped 2200 pregnant and parenting women and their families, he said.

Mr Purnell said the organisation had reflected on the boy's death and concluded there was nothing it could have done to prevent the baby's death.

The inquest will examine the manner and cause of the boy's death, the effect of illicit drugs on an infant's health, the appropriateness of the advice to breastfeeding mothers, the appropriateness of actions by authorities in light of the mother's non-compliance with the methadone program, and potential recommendations.

The inquest continues.