'Baby Tommy's here, Chelsea's not': First-time mum dies in childbirth

The household of a first-time mum who died successful childbirth accidental her newborn lad is the "light" that's keeping them going done their grief.

Chelsea McGillivray suffered an chartless cardiac lawsuit during labour past Monday aft what was believed to beryllium a textbook pregnancy.

The 31-year-old, from Rutherglen successful South Lanarkshire, received CPR but doctors were incapable to resuscitate her.

Her lad Tommy was taken to the neonatal intensive attraction portion wherever helium was monitored aft the traumatic birth, but got location steadfast 2 days later.

"I don't deliberation it has deed america yet, it doesn't consciousness real," Chelsea's sister-in-law Lorna McGillivray told BBC Radio Scotland's Drivetime programme.

"We volition beryllium laughing and telling stories 1 infinitesimal past we're breaking down the adjacent - truthful it's a rollercoaster astatine the moment.

"We are each rallying astir arsenic overmuch arsenic we tin and trying to navigate this caller world with babe Tommy present and Chelsea not."

Chelsea's gestation was astatine afloat word erstwhile her waters broke and she went to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital successful Glasgow.

She was checked implicit and told to spell home.

Lorna, who is joined to Chelsea's member Steven, said her contractions past came connected quickly.

Chelsea went backmost to the infirmary ward with her spouse Jack and her mum, wherever it was confirmed she was successful labour.

"She was successful labour symptom but she was inactive successful bully spirits and cracking jokes," Lorna said.

But she said erstwhile Chelsea was moved to the furniture acceptable to springiness birth, she "crashed".

The midwife raised the alarm and exigency teams began CPR immediately.

Lorna said: "They thought she was possibly panicking and couldn't drawback her breath.

"She was talking 1 infinitesimal past the next, she wasn't."

All of Chelsea's prenatal tests had been mean and the household said she had nary underlying wellness conditions.

"She wasn't unwell - determination were nary signs of this," Lorna added.

Data from MBRRACE-UK, external, the authoritative assemblage for auditing deaths among mothers and babies, recovered 252 women successful the UK died during gestation oregon successful the weeks aft giving commencement from 2022 to 2024.

This is the equivalent of 12.8 deaths for each 100,000 women giving birth, according to the statistics.

The wide complaint of maternal decease successful the UK during this play was 20% higher than the rates from 2009 to 2011.

Doctors managed to present Tommy safely and helium is present astatine location with dad, Jack.

"Tommy is doing amazing," Lorna said.

"He's conscionable cleanable and helium is the airy that is keeping america going done each of this.

"We're inactive trying to observe him being present adjacent though we are going done the hardest clip of our beingness due to the fact that that is what Chelsea would want."

Lorna said Chelsea was looking guardant to being a mum. She had organised everything from the babe ablution and sex uncover to personalised decor for erstwhile Tommy arrived.

"We knew what benignant of mum she would beryllium due to the fact that she doted connected my 2 boys - her nephews," she said.

"She was astir astatine full-term gestation and she was determined to instrumentality them to the parkland for a picnic, moving astir aft them and playing.

"She had this infectious laugh, she was the beingness and psyche of everyplace and she conscionable loved being astir people."

Tommy's dada Jack present plans to honour his partner's representation and proceed to bash what she would person wanted.

Chelsea had booked a new-born photoshoot for erstwhile the babe was calved and Jack inactive intends to instrumentality Tommy.

"Nobody should person to spell done losing the astir important idiosyncratic successful their beingness portion she was bringing their babe into the world," Lorna said.

"Jack's evidently devastated but helium is stepping up to what helium needs to.

"We're each truthful arrogant of him and he's hooked to fatherhood similar we each expected and knew helium would."

The household person acceptable up a fundraiser truthful Jack, who is self-employed, does not person to interest astir wealth portion taking clip disconnected work.

It has raised much than £85,000.

Lorna said: "He needs to walk clip with Tommy and grieve without worrying astir finances.

"It volition ne'er bring Chelsea backmost oregon instrumentality distant the symptom but it takes the unit off.

"I support saying to him: 'You don't request to look astatine it arsenic money, conscionable look astatine it arsenic time. It gives you much time.'"

Lorna said she thinks astir Chelsea's "big grin and dimples" successful moments of sadness.

"Chelsea wasn't scared, she wouldn't person known this was going to hap and she held connected agelong capable to get babe Tommy here," she added.

"She would privation america to observe him and not fto the grief devour us."

A NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde spokesperson said: "Our heartfelt condolences are with Chelsea's household and loved ones during this incredibly hard time."