Tragic first-time mum, 19, and her new child child die hours aside in household heartbreak
Now the family of the new mum and her baby girl, including partner and dad, Daniel Darbyshire, have set up a fundraiser to try to raise money for the funeral costs
A ‘healthy’ pregnant first-time mum and her newborn baby delivered via C-section seven weeks early have tragically died just hours apart.
Mellodie-Ocean Jarman, 19, had first complained about feeling faint and dizzy on her way to a routine pregnancy scan on Friday, January 31. At her scan, a doctor told her she was ‘low on iron’ after she explained her symptoms.
Family members say she was then sent back home to Atherton, Gtr Mancs., with medication and antibiotics.
However, the next day, Mellodie began to complain of difficulties breathing and that she was struggling to see.
She was then rushed to the Royal Bolton Hospital as paramedics desperately tried to revive her by performing CPR.
After she arrived at the hospital, an emergency C-section was performed and Mellodie gave birth to baby Athena-Pearl seven weeks early, in the early hours of Sunday, February 2.
Tragically Mellodie died around an hour after the operation and the family then received more devastating news when they learned baby Athena-Pearl wasn’t likely to survive.
Mellodie’s heartbroken uncle Steven Darby, 32, said: “We got a phone call at around four o’clock to say baby was deteriorating so we needed to make our way back.
“We made our way back up to the suite and we proceeded to speak to the priest and have a baptism. Then it was planned for Athena to be placed on a portable machine so she could walk down and transfer to the mortuary, where she was placed in Mellodie’s arms and her life support was switched off.”
Mellodie’s heartbroken partner 18-year-old partner Daniel Darbyshire then took Athena-Pearl in a pushchair back up to the neonatal ward to spend some more time with her before she finally passed away at just before 6.30pm.
Steven added: “He doesn’t know what to do with himself, which is understandable in these situations – he’s lost everything.
“Everything he’s planned, everything he’s wanted to do seems worse at the minute. We’re supporting him the best we can.”
Now, the family, including Mellodie’s grieving mum Justine Ryan, 52, faces having to pay steep funeral costs.
Speaking about her daughter Justine said: “Mellodie was a sassy, upfront person who always said it how it is. She knew what she wanted in life and always found the banter and funny side in things. She was a real character.”
Steven added: “At the moment, we don’t know anything until an investigation determines the full extent of what happened. She was a healthy 19-year-old with no health complications, so we just can’t comprehend what has happened.
“Now we are having to go to funeral directors and sort out funeral costs, which is quite a daunting experience in itself, so I wanted to set-up a fundraiser so the family do not have to worry about any of these costs.
“It was deeply traumatic [in hospital] but the doctors and neo-natal team were absolutely fantastic, and they all tried their absolute best to save the baby.
“You could tell that it was traumatic for them too, but they did all they could to support us.”
Anyone who wishes to donate to the fundraiser can do so here.
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