A MUM has said the death of her baby has left a ‘big hole in her heart’.

An inquest heard Leonie Livesey’s daughter Sienna died in a Blackburn home in March last year.

The baby girl was ‘unresponsive’ when she was born in the home of one of Leonie’s friends at around 5am on March 23. Coroner James Newman ruled Sienna was stillborn.

In a tearful tribute to her daughter, the Blackburn mum, who was 18 at the time, spoke on behalf of the family and said: “Sienna’s passing has left a big hole in all of our hearts.”

An inquest into Sienna’s death was held yesterday to determine whether Sienna was alive when she was born. The court was told Leonie had been visiting her friend at her home on Bolton Road, Blackburn.

During her 36-week pregnancy, the young mother had suffered several complications. She had developed an infection in her placenta, leaving it in ‘poor condition’, while Sienna was found to have pneumonia, a potentially fatal lung infection.

On the night of the birth, Leonie felt abdominal pains after she slept on her friend’s sofa for three hours, the court was told.

The inquest heard Leonie woke up at around 5am with a ‘strong urge to push’ and delivered baby Sienna.

The court was told there were no signs of life from Sienna when she was born and the two friends phoned an ambulance straight away.

Prior to the arrival of paramedics, Leonie and her friend tried to resuscitate the baby.

Sienna was then taken to Royal Blackburn Hospital where she was declared dead shortly after 6am.

Det Insp Tim Brown, who was involved in the investigation which immediately followed Sienna’s death, spoke with Leonie and her friend shortly after the baby’s death.

He said: “When Sienna was born there was silence and she was effectively unresponsive.”

During the inquest forensic pathologist Charles Wilson, who conducted the post-mortem, hypothesised that Sienna might have died shortly before she was born and said this could have caused the onset of labour.

Mr Wilson said: “Even if Sienna had been born alive she would have had a bad prognosis because she would have been born with a potentially fatal infection.”

Mr Newman told the inquest that he could not give a cause of death as the baby was stillborn.