A “HEALTHY” teen and her baby girl died just hours apart after a doctor sent the young mum home with antibiotics.
Mellodie-Ocean Jarman, 19, had complained about feeling faint and dizzy on her way to a routine pregnancy scan on Friday, January 31.
But a doctor told her she was “low on iron” and sent her home with medication and antibiotics.
The teen, from Atherton, Greater Manchester, was rushed to hospital the next day after her family say she had breathing difficulties and was struggling to see.
Doctors at Royal Bolton Hospital performed an emergency C-section, with Mellodie giving 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, with her family also told her baby was not going to make it after suffering from a lack of oxygen.
She leaves behind 18-year-old partner Daniel Darbyshire and grieving mum Justine Ryan, 52.
Heartbroken uncle Steven Darby, 32, said the family received a phone call about the baby’s deteriorating condition before making their way back to baptise the new-born.
Athena-Pearl was put on a portable life-support machine so she could be placed in Mellodie’s arms for the final time until the machines fell silent.
Daniel was then able to move his daughter back from the mortuary in a pram so she could be bathed and baptised before being laid to rest.
Mellodie’s mum 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.”
Mellodie and Daniel, both staff members at The Thomas Burke Wetherspoons in nearby Leigh, were described as being “like glue” and had been eagerly anticipating the birth of their first child.
Steven said Mellodie’s cause of death has not yet been identified and the family are waiting for the results of an investigation.
He said Mellodie was a “healthy” 19-year-old with “no health complications”.
The family are now going through the “daunting experience” of arranging a funeral and have set up a fundraiser to cover the costs, he said.
He described the events in hospital as “deeply traumatic” but paid tribute to doctors and the neo-natal team for trying their “absolute best to save the baby”.
Steven added: “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, which has already raised more than £6,000, can do so here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/mellodieocean-jarman-athenapearl-darbyshire.
