MUM Michelle Trotter twice took her baby Alexander to Swindon's Princess Margaret Hospital and asked for help, an inquest heard.

Mrs Trotter was told on both occasions that the infant had a cold or viral infection.

The one-month-old child died after contracting bronchial pneumonia.

She told the inquest how Alexander was born on September 27 last year a brother to her three other boys.

She described how her children had colds and how Alexander became "snuf-fly" on October 13.

On October 18, she said, Alexander's chest was congested and he was breathing faster so she took him to see her GP, Dr Reddy, at Freshbrook Surgery. "He arranged for him to be seen at PMH," Mrs Trotter said.

"I took Alexander to the day assessment centre and we were seen within five minutes."

Mrs Trotter, of Wilmot Close, The Prinnels, described how the infant's blood/oxygen saturation was found to be "a little low", he was admitted to the hospital, and she stayed with him overnight.

She said: "I was anxious about Alexander's blood-/oxygen saturation 81 was the reading but the nurse wasn't bothered because she said the machine wasn't very reliable in terms of recording accurately."

At 11.45pm that day, Mrs Trotter said, Alexander was examined and she was told he had a basic cold and viral infection.

The inquest heard Alexander was discharged from PMH only to be re-admitted on October 19 after an out-of-hours doctor advised her the child was possibly suffering from bronchiolitis. Again, Mrs Trotter said, Alexander was discharged after Dr French saw him at PMH when he seemed "more settled".

But the inquest heard that, after sleeping on his mum's chest, the baby appeared lifeless when his mother awoke and he was certified dead on October 21. A post mortem by paediatric pathologist Dr Stephen Gould, of John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, concluded cause of death was bronchial pneumonia.

Mrs Trotter told the inquest two doctors had told her that her child had a basic cold.

She said: "I put my son in Dr French's hands and she felt sure he was ok.

"There had been a marked improvement and I put my faith in Dr French, I followed Dr French's lead."

The mother added that before he died Alexander was taking half his normal amount of feed, which she deemed to be significant.