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Home / World

'In a dark place': Father of twins who died in co-sleeping tragedy speaks out

NZ Herald
5 Dec, 2019 10:21 PM3 mins to read

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The newborn twins from Brisbane died within hours of each other. Video / Nine News

The heartbroken Australian father of the twins who died in a co-sleeping accident has spoken out about the tragedy.

The 6-week-old twins, Violet and Indiana, were found unconscious beside their mother at their Sunnybank Hills home, in Brisbane's south, last Wednesday.

One was pronounced dead at the home, while the other died days later in hospital.

Violet and Indiana both died after being found unconscious in bed. Photo / GoFundMe
Violet and Indiana both died after being found unconscious in bed. Photo / GoFundMe

In an interview with the Courier Mail, their father revealed that the couple is in a "dark place" and their 2-year-old son has been distraught, searching the house for his baby sisters.

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"We're in a very dark place. But we have to try to keep going for our other children," the father said.

"Our daughter is almost five, we told her the truth. We didn't say they had fallen asleep … we told her they had died."

However, he added that his daughter still hasn't fully comprehended what has happened yet.

The twins' father, who is a chemical technician, revealed he and his wife understood the dangers of co-sleeping, but they were struggling with the sleep deprivation after the birth of their twins.

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He added that they are "educated people" and that it was only the second time her wife had co-slept with their children.

In an interview with The Courier Mail, their dad revealed that the couple is in a "dark place" over their twins' death.
In an interview with The Courier Mail, their dad revealed that the couple is in a "dark place" over their twins' death.

He also revealed that he and his wife made a sleeping arrangement of him sleeping in the spare room so he could get up and take their son, who has autism, to his school each morning.

"When I used to go in and see her in the morning I'd say 'how did you sleep?' and she would say 'I didn't really'."

While crying, the father described the devastating moment he found the babies last week, when they were covered by bedsheets.

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"I got to name her Violet. She was my little cutie. When I went in … I knew she'd gone," he said.

"Indiana was still warm and my wife was thinking enough to call for help, but at the hospital we were told she had lost too much oxygen. We knew she wouldn't make it."

Their father told the Courier Mail that he shared his story in hopes that it would help other parents struggling with the loss of a baby.

The deaths have not been deemed suspicious. Photo / News Ltd
The deaths have not been deemed suspicious. Photo / News Ltd

A friend of the family has posted a picture of the 6-week-old girls on a GoFundMe page, set up to help their parents cover the cost of the funeral, news.com.au reports.

Calling the page "R.I.P Twin Angels of Brisbane", the friend said the twins' parents and two older siblings had been left heartbroken by the deaths.

"They leave behind a big sister, big brother and two heartbroken parents," the page reads.

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"These Angels graced us for only 6 beautiful weeks but have created such a hole since their passing. It is hard to see where the next smile will come from for their beloved parents."

The fundraising page has raised more than $12,300 so far.

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