A HEARTBROKEN Ipswich couple has spoken of the daily nightmare they go through in adjusting to life without their baby Jason. Helga and Alan Richardson, of Shakespeare Road, woke up one morning to discover their four-month-old baby had stopped breathing.

A HEARTBROKEN Ipswich couple have spoken of their daily nightmare as they adjust to life after the sudden death of their baby.

Helga and Alan Richardson, of Shakespeare Road, woke up one morning to discover the four-month-old baby Jason, who they had fostered since he was four days old, had stopped breathing in his cot.

Frantic efforts by his foster parents to resuscitate him failed and, despite being taken to Ipswich Hospital by paramedics, he was pronounced dead the same day on October 30.

Mrs Richardson said: "He was just normal happy Jason. The night before he was still playing. He came down to take his feed and then fell back asleep and just didn't wake up."

It was Mr Richardson who discovered that Jason was not breathing when he checked on him in his cot at around 7.30am.

The sudden nature of Jason's death has thrown up a whole series of questions for the Richardson family.

"You are constantly beating yourself up, said Mr Richardson. "Was there something in the milk? You've got a thousand and one questions but no answers.

"There is nobody who can tell you why he has gone. It's hard to accept that baby Jason went to sleep and didn't wake up. It just doesn't make any sense."

Life with a baby had taken over the everyday life of the family, and adjusting to life without him has proved to be a difficult task.

Mrs Richardson said: "Little things around the house are constant reminders. You open the draws and there is baby spoons and baby food. Then you think about what you would've been doing.

"When you have got a baby in the house, it takes up 99 per cent of the time and everything fits around the feeds."

Mr Richardson said: "We went shopping in the middle of the afternoon and of course there was all the mums and the babies. I think we lasted about 30 seconds and then had to come out. It was too painful.

"There are good days and there are bad days. On the bad days you get up and you're on a downer for the whole day. You take each day as it comes."

Life without Jason has been hard to come to terms with for the whole family, including Jason's sisters Danielle, 6, Amanda, 4, and brother, Robert, 2.

Mrs Richardson said: "It's difficult for them all. They all take it differently.

"Danielle looks like she's ok but then she will go and grab something of Jason's and cry herself to sleep. Amanda has started to cry and storm around the room and Robert doesn't like the sirens. He just clings to his dad."