IPSWICH: Distraught mum Kirsty Ludlow today offered to talk to the family of the latest baby to die of suspected meningitis at Ipswich Hospital after learning of the tragedy.

IPSWICH: Distraught mum Kirsty Ludlow today offered to talk to the family of the latest baby to die of suspected meningitis at Ipswich Hospital after learning of the tragedy.

Ms Ludlow, of Felixstowe Road, lost her 11-month-old daughter Ellie last month after she had been taken to Ipswich Hospital and then sent home.

She said: “It is still very raw - it has been terrible. We should have had her first birthday and then Christmas a few days later, but it was all so empty.”

When she read in the Evening Star that an 18-month-old baby had died at the hospital on New Year's Eve she knew how they must be feeling.

After her own tragedy she had been contacted by Mark and Jennifer Smith from Kesgrave whose nine-month-old son Taylor died from the killer bug last year - a meeting she said had helped her.

“I'm still feeling numb and I can't get over that - but I was contacted by the Kesgrave couple and it was good to be able to talk to people who were in the same position.”

Ms Ludlow and her partner Darren Parsons could not believe it when she heard that a second baby had died of suspected meningitis at the hospital so soon after Ellie's death.

“We know there is an inquiry going on into what happened to Ellie, and now there is something else for the hospital to look at.

“I shall be following both of these inquiries very closely - I will want to know exactly what happened in both cases. On the face of it they sound quite similar.”

She knew that the family of the latest baby to die would be struggling to understand what had happened.

“If they think it could help then I would meet them to talk. Nothing will ease the pain that we are all feeling - but just talking can be good and I'm here if they want to get in contact.”

The Evening Star has Ms Ludlow's contact number and has agreed to pass it on if the family of the latest tragic baby want to contact us to talk to her.