A COUPLE have told of their heartbreak after their ‘beautiful’ three-month-old baby died.

Lauren Marie Tomlinson was a ‘normal, happy’ baby who had been smiling and blowing bubbles just hours before her death.

Mother Ann-Marie Mack went to check on Lauren at 7.30am when she hadn’t woken up at her usual time.

She found the child ‘purple’ and foaming at the mouth.

Terrified, Ann-Marie dialed 999 and they told her to try to resuscitate Lauren.

She gave her daughter the kiss of life four times before paramedics arrived, but Lauren was later pronounced dead at hospital.

A post-mortem examination had found no obvious cause of death, and further tests are being carried out.

Lauren’s parents have decided to raise money for charities which carry out research into cot deaths.

Ann-Marie and her boyfriend Peter Tomlinson, who have another daughter, Lela, six, are being comforted by relatives and friends at the family home in Delph Close, Shadsworth, Blackburn.

She said: “She was a normal, healthy baby and the doctor even said she was advanced for her age and now she is gone.

"I keep thinking that maybe if I had done something differently she would still be here. But I'm not sure what I could have done because there was nothing wrong with her.

"We don't want any other families to have to go through what we have. It has been our worst nightmare and nothing will ever fill the emptiness that we feel.

"I have been worried about Lela because she keeps asking where Lauren is. I have tried to explain to her that she will be asleep in a pink box but she wants us to bring her back.

"It is breaking my heart trying to explain to her that we will never see her again."

Peter, a print room supervisor at Express Gifts in Clayton-le-Moors, said his daughter had never been poorly before.

He said: "She had just got to the stage where she was gurgling and blowing bubbles and she loved watching Liverpool FC playing on the TV because of all the bright shapes running around.

"We just can't understand why this has happened to us. We are going to miss her so much. She had a beautiful smile."

Lauren was found dead in the early hours of March 23.

Ann-Marie said: “It was just a usual busy day and we were all going to a birthday party with my other daughter, Lela.

"Lauren was happy and smiling at the party and when we got back home she was tired so I put her down to sleep for a while on the settee whilst I helped Lela get her stuff ready for school the next day.

"At about 12.45 I took Lauren upstairs to get her ready for bed and gave her, her last feed before lying on the bed with her for a few moments just to give her a cuddle and I remember her grabbing my finger and she gave it a little squeeze.

"I put her in her cot and the next time I saw her was at 7.30am."

Ann-Marie went to check on Lauren in the morning as it was ‘not normal’ for her to sleep so late.

She said: "She was purple and there was foam around her around her mouth.

“I started to panic and rang the ambulance who told me that I would have to try and resuscitate her." she added.

Ann-Marie gave the tot the kiss of life four times before the ambulance crews arrived at just after 8am.

Lauren was taken to the Royal Blackburn Hospital and she was pronounced dead later the same day.

The family were questioned by the police as a precaution and detectives from the Lancashire Constabulary confirmed the death was not being treated as suspicious.

An inquest was opened and adjourned by Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley coroner Michael Singleton.

He was told a post mortem examination had been carried out and that the results of further tests were awaited.

The funeral service will take place in St Peter's Church, Salesbury, on Friday April 1, at 1pm followed by a burial in the churchyard.

Family flowers only donations in memory may be made to Cot Death Research c/o Darwen Funeral Service, 59/61 Blackburn Road, Darwen.