A woman accused of killing her 13-month old son by drowning him in the bath had become withdrawn and hardly spoke for the three months before the baby's death, a friend told a court today.
The woman, who has name suppression, is on trial in the High Court at Auckland.
She is said to have left the boy alone in a full bath for 15 minutes.
The friend told the jury today she received a phone call from her on the morning of the baby's death asking her to look after her five-year-old daughter.
"She just sounded very down at that time."
Since the boy's first birthday, the woman had become withdrawn and sometimes seemed like she was in a daze.
"It was like her head was still on but she just didn't open up and talk a lot."
She said on two occasions she had phoned the woman but she was unable to talk because she was bathing her son and would not leave him.
She had "no concerns whatsoever" with the way the woman cared for her children.
The court also heard evidence from two ambulance officers who went to the house after emergency services received a call from the boy's father saying "my son, my son".
Ambulance officer Bernard Wong Doo said when they arrived at the scene they heard wailing and crying coming from the house and saw the boy wrapped up in his father's arms.
"The baby was limp and there was mucus or froth coming from his mouth."
He was completely lifeless and his eyes were fixed and fully dilated, he said.
The trial is continuing.
