A BABY died minutes after being born after his mother’s untreatable liver condition poisoned his blood and stopped his heart, an inquest heard.

Little Syed Naqui was born at Whipps Cross University Hospital by caesarean section, but died just 48 minutes later after attempts to resuscitate him failed.

An inquest at Walthamstow Coroner's Court on Thursday heard that the baby's mother, Malika Naqui, of Claude Road in Leyton, was diagnosed with cholestasis after describing itching all over her body.

Consultant gynaecologist Dr Julian Woolfson told the court that the genetic condition, which affects just one in 100 pregnancies, causes a poisonous bile from the mother's liver to leak into the bloodstream.

He said: “Once the mother has it, it is irreversible as a process and there is no treatment. The only way you can make sure the baby will be alright is to deliver it before it becomes ill.

"But you don't know at which point the baby's condition will deteriorate. Sometimes it is slow and sometimes it is very fast.”

Coroner Dr William Dolman asked the doctor whether if the baby had been delivered by caesarean days before there might have been a chance of survival, to which he said “yes”.

The court heard from medical staff who delivered the baby on March 19 last year, that the labour was induced because of the cholestasis, and the doctor decided it should be delivered by caesarean section because the labour was slow to progress.

The baby boy was delivered in less than five minutes but was blue and floppy and was not breathing, the court heard.

Consultant paediatricians tried to resuscitate him, but when there was no heart beat for more than 10 minutes, the baby was declared dead.

A consultant pathologist said that there was no evidence of injury caused to the baby during the birth.

Coroner Dr William Dolman recorded a verdict of natural causes and said the “unexplained” neo-natal death was caused as a consequence of the cholestasis.

He told the baby's parents: “I give you my deepest sympathy for your loss and also it has taken a long time to come to court. I hope the tragedy doesn't lay on your life forever and, in time, you will be able to live with the sad loss.”

After the hearing the baby's father, also called Syed Naqui, told the Guardian he felt like the inquest had answered all the questions the couple had about their son's death.