Mom Shared How Her Son Suddenly Died in Daycare [A Heartbreaking Story]

On March 19, 2018, Lindsay Paulsen left her 11-month-old son, Declan, into his daycare. The little boy took a nap when suddenly, he died. 

Mom dropped her son off

Paulsen remembered every moment that happened that very morning her baby boy died. She even thought of not bringing Declan to the daycare that day. However, she did not want to upset her child's routine, so she followed her schedule. 

She saw her son rearranging all the shoes, but thankfully, she did not get angry at him for making a mess. She left her baby to clean up breakfast stuff, thinking that it was more important than him. 

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After putting on a sweatshirt that was a bit small to Declan, Paulsen brought him into the car then drove off to the daycare. She gave her son a quick hug and a kiss, not realizing it would be her last. 

(Photo: unsplash/Meghan Holmes)
Mom gave a quick hug and kiss to her 11-month-old son not knowing it would be her last.

Soon, she got a missed call from the daycare. As she called them back, she thought that maybe Declan bumped his head. Instead, what she heard was that her son took a nap and never woke up. They said that an ambulance was bringing her little boy to the hospital, so she had to get there fast. 

They rushed to the hospital

Paulsen's dad picked her up, went to the hospital, as she called her husband, Cody. She tried to calm herself down. She thought that her hormones might be dramatic because she was pregnant during that time. 

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When she got into the emergency, someone was waiting for her. She immediately knew that it was not good. The poor man held her hand and took her to where her husband was kneeling on the floor. 

Cody was dirty from work, and he buried his face with his hands. Beside him was a curtain where Declan was. The little boy looked tiny as he laid on the hospital bed. Declan was wearing only his diapers. Doctors surrounded him, trying to revive his heart. 

Paulsen did not know how to respond. She silently sat in a chair as she watched her husband talk to their son, saying, "Come on, buddy, come on." The helpless mom could not wrap her mind around what was going on in front of her. 

The doctor told the mom that they did everything they could to revive their son. It did not hit Paulsen until all the doctors stopped trying, wrapped Declan in a sheet, and put him in her arms. It meant that her baby died. 

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(Photo: unsplash/Guillaume de Germain)

Her son's sparkle was gone

The mom saw her child's open eyes, but he was not there. She saw that the sparkle was gone. Even the little boy's smell was gone. Paulsen cried all over as she tried to memorize every inch of Declan's face and weight in her arms. 

The little boy had a tube in his mouth, and he let out his last breath in his mom's arms. Paulsen's tears started falling upon realizing that her child had died. 

Sudden infant death syndrome 

Doctors explained to the grieving mom that sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) was the reason why Declan died. She could never have guessed for it to happen because there was no warning. 

Later, she found out that SIDS happens most likely during the first year of a child. Her son was just weeks away from the milestone. She knows that they have to move on for their older daughters, Reaghan and Paisley, and to the little one she is carrying.