AN ELLESMERE Port couple have paid tribute to their two-month-old baby after she died unexpectedly of natural causes.

An inquest at Chester Coroner’s Court heard Megan Maria Louise Phillipart died in the Countess of Chester Hospital on the morning of June 5 last year after attempts to revive her failed.

Parents Chris Phillipart and Hannah Louise Burt said: “Megan will always be there in our hearts, don’t be scared or sad, we’ll be with you once again, our darling little angel.

“Rest in peace.”

The inquest heard Miss Burt, a housewife, and her partner Mr Phillipart, a restaurant supervisor, were living in Wilkinson Street, Ellesmere Port, when Miss Burt became pregnant for the first time.

It had been a normal pregnancy and Megan was born at the Countess of Chester Hospital on March 31, weighing 6lb 13oz.

The court heard Megan was taken to hospital at nine weeks old after she had been vomiting and there was a blockage in the stomach, but after a one-night stay Megan was well enough to come home.

Miss Burt said: “On June 4 we were talking about moving house.

“She had learned how to giggle that day and we were watching TV late at night.

“We gave her her feed and we went to bed together.

“We put her to sleep between us and we would get her to sleep and then put her in her cot.

“At 2.30am I woke up to do her feed and noticed she was still on the bed, not breathing. I quickly jumped up, woke up Chris and dialled 999.”

Mr Phillipart gave Megan CPR until the ambulance arrived a few minutes later, when she was taken to the Countess, but was declared dead at 3.30am.

Paediatric pathologist Dr George Kokai said: “The final cause of death is difficult to determine.

“Because Megan was not in a cot we cannot call it what used to be known as ‘cot death’, or sudden infant death syndrome. The possibility of an accident is theoretical but cannot be excluded.”

Janet Napier, deputy coroner for Cheshire, recording the verdict of Megan’s death as ‘unascertained’, said to Megan’s parents: “It is a terrible thing that happened that day, to find she was not breathing.

“You did the right thing to call the ambulance, but obviously nothing could be done at the time.

“I am quite confident the reason was natural causes.”

The family, who now live in Little Sutton, have since had another arrival, a baby son called Luke, who is now 10 weeks old.