'Lost and heartbroken' dad, age 20, loses girlfriend, 19, and newborn daughter within hours of each other

20-year-old Daniel Darbyshire’s girlfriend Mellodie-Ocean Jarman, aged 19, died when she was 33 weeks pregnant after collapsing in hospital.

The couple’s baby Athena-Pearl was delivered by emergency C-section just after her mum’s death, but the newborn girl also died a short time later. Darbyshire told how, when he realised his daughter wouldn’t survive, he had placed his tiny baby girl in her dead mother's arms so that she could take her last breath with her mum.

He told SWNS: "At the moment, I'm just lost. I'm pretty much lost and heartbroken."

Later, Darbyshire pushed Athena-Pearl back from the mortuary in a pram, and the family were able to bathe and baptise her.

His "fit and healthy" partner Jarman, who had just celebrated her 19th birthday, was 33 weeks pregnant when was rushed to hospital a day after she first complained of feeling unwell.

She then collapsed and, though medics tried to save her, she later died. When doctors delivered baby Athena-Pearl an hour later they warned Darbyshire she would not survive.

Daniel, from Leigh, Greater Manchester, who had been with Mellodie for two and half years, added: "Mellodie would normally give me an insight on what to do and keep life as a structure, now it's gone.”

Mellodie first complained of feeling faint and dizzy on her way to a scan on Friday January 31. Once she arrived for her appointment, a doctor said she had low iron levels, and prescribed her liquid iron and antibiotics. Afterwards, the couple returned home.

Darbyshire said: "The day after she was fine throughout the day, we were watching telly and taking pictures, just messing around. She seemed fine. Then, on Saturday night she had the same again, saying she couldn't hear and she could see white, like she did on Friday, and that she was struggling to breathe."

She was later rushed into hospital because she had difficulties breathing and was struggling to see. Doctors at the Royal Bolton Hospital performed CPR to try and save her life, and did an emergency C-section to deliver her little girl.

The new mum died around an hour after the operation and baby Athena-Pearl was put on life support, but she also died.

Darbyshire said: "At the time Mellodie passed it was heartbreaking, we were praying for baby to make it and try and survive. They tried giving baby every medication they could to try and help her, but the medication wasn't working and the baby's vitals and blood pressure were dropping.

"That's when we decided to move her and they took us down to the place where Mellodie was, while still giving baby oxygen, so baby would have her last breath with Mellodie as she got placed into her arms."

Just weeks before the tragedy, the couple had booked their first holiday together and were talking about buying their own home.

He added: "We were planning on saving up and getting our own place together. We'd never been on holiday, so this year we were planning on going to Greece, she wanted to go to Greece.

"We had a whole life planned together. We thought this wouldn't happen, no-one did. We just planned on doing everything for the first time.

The couple also spoke of what they would do once baby Athena-Pearl., their first child, was born. He went on: "We were both excited to have little Athena, we wanted to give her everything that we could, make her life as good as it could be.”

Darbyshire said doctors do not know what caused Jarman’s death and they are hoping an inquest will provide them with answers. "Doctors have said she was 19, fit and healthy, there were no complications. Even the doctors have no idea what caused it.

"That's why there's the coroner's report that we're waiting to try and find out and get some answers ourselves."

A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise money for the young mum and baby girl’s funeral. Jarman’s uncle Steven Darby set up the page and wrote: “Our family is engulfed in devastation. We held onto hope with every ounce of our beings, praying for a miracle - that both Mellodie and Daniel’s daughter would thrive.

“After what felt like an eternity of anguish, we were given the gut-wrenching gift of placing Mellodie’s daughter in her arms as the machines fell silent. Together, they fell into an eternal sleep, bound by an unbreakable bond of love that transcends all.

“The pain we are enduring is unfathomable. Daniel and Mellodie’s family find themselves unprepared, navigating this unimaginable loss while trying to comprehend what lies ahead.”

At the time of writing, on the afternoon of Sunday February 9, more than £15,000 has been raised.

Many people who have donated have left messages of support and condolence on the page. One said: “No words can say how sorry I am for your loss. Two beautiful angels together forever, rest in peace Mellodie-Ocean and your beautiful daughter Athena-Pearl.”

Another said: “I don't know you all but this absolutely broken my heart I hope this can help to lay your two beautiful angels to rest.”