The 32-year-old was out drinking with friends before returning to her home in Kosovo, Nyanga, to feed her baby.
But she passed out while breastfeeding her son.
When she woke up the following morning, her breast was still stuck inside the baby boy’s mouth.
She saw with horror that his lips had turned black and blood was streaming out of his nose.
Police have not arrested the woman, although social workers are investigating the circumstances surrounding the boy’s death.
When contacted, the distraught mom said she couldn’t believe her son is dead. But she refused to discuss the tragedy.
“It’s hurting and I still cannot believe that he is dead. I don’t want to talk of this anymore,” she said.
The woman’s neighbour said he rushed to the scene after a friend called for help last Friday night.
“I couldn’t believe that she slept next to her child’s dead body for all these hours,” the man said.
“The child’s lips had turned black and he was ice-cold.”
The neighbour said that the child’s mother was crying uncontrollably as blood came out of her son’s nose.
“She cried for help but there was nothing we could do – the child was already dead,” he said.
“But she is the mother – she should have known better. It is very sad.”
A community worker says similar incidents of neglect are all too common this time of year.
“This is the time for street parties where people enjoy the end of the year,” she said.
“Parents need to take control of themselves, otherwise face the consequences,” she said.
Nyanga police spokeswoman Captain Ntomboxolo Sitshitshi confirmed that an inquest docket has been opened.