A BABY boy deprived of oxygen when his mother collapsed before birth died after a four-month struggle for life.

And a coroner praised Aaron Sawyer's parents for their efforts on his behalf before he died of pneumonia.

"It is a great tragedy this child had such a short life blighted by so many medical conditions," said Michael Singleton. "As caring loving parents you did everything in your power to get him the help he so desperately needed."

The inquest heard that Aaron spent the first days of his short life in intensive care and was treated with various medications following his return home to Slaidburn Drive, Accrington.

His mother, Rachel Gaskell, told the inquest she had not been well during pregnancy and Aaron was eventually born by emergency caesarean section.

She said that during his short life he had two seizures which required him to be resuscitated.

She said he had a rattly chest and had problems with his breathing.

He had been admitted to the children's medical unit at Queens Park Hospital the week before his death, in August, but discharged after two days.

Miss Gaskell told how she put Aaron to bed on August 5 and then fed him at about 1am.

Miss Gaskell said at 8.50 am she was woken another child trying to rouse Aaron who wasn't breathing. He was taken to Blackburn Infirmary but did not recover.

His father Stewart Sawyer said Aaron had been taken into hospital six days earlier after turning blue. He had another episode the following day but was released from hospital after staff did some suction on his chest.

Consultant paediatric pathologist Melanie Newbold gave the medical cause of death as pneumonia. Mr Singleton recorded a verdict of natural causes.