20 February 2024 , 17:59
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A grieving family has paid tribute to a “totally healthy” woman who died just hours after her baby boy was delivered.
Emily Lockley, 26, suffered a suspected pulmonary aneurysm – a bulge or ballooning in the wall of a blood vessel – which damaged her heart. Harley, who was born a healthy 8lb 1oz, faces a future without his mum. But now Emily’s whole family – sister Chloe Stokes, 24, mum Tracey Wootton, 46, and partner Tyler Collinson, 27 – are looking after Harley together.
Tracey says: “Emily, we will look after your gorgeous boy Harley, and we will pass him your love that you will be sending from heaven.”
Remembering her big sister, Chloe says: “She was very beautiful – inside and out. We called her The Little Dancing Queen, as she loved Abba. As a family, we are in complete shock, as Emily had a perfectly normal pregnancy.
“We are all struggling a lot, but having Harley is like having a piece of Emily. He is bringing us comfort.”
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Welder Tyler, 27, who is still living with Harley at the Woottons’ home, says: “We were both so excited to become parents and Emily helped give me so much faith in myself that I was going to do the best job as a dad. She was so supportive and prepared, I was in awe.
“I felt like the luckiest man in the world that she chose to go through life with me. She was one in a million.”
Emily while she was pregnant with Harley
Emily's family are helping raise little HarleyBeautician Chloe has launched a fundraiser, which has already raised nearly £12,000 towards funeral costs and Harley’s future.
When Emily, who worked at a GP surgery, started seeing Tyler, conversation soon turned to starting a family. The couple lived with Emily’s family, including stepdad Mark Wootton, 57, and brother, Kieran Wootton, 17, in Stoke-on-Trent. Chloe says: “I went to multiple scans with her. I cried most of the time.
“Me and Emily were very, very close, so it was always very emotional for me. But she loved the scans.
“Emily was over the moon about being pregnant, it was all she ever wanted. She dreamed of being a mum and would have had two or three babies if she could have.”
She laughs when she recalls Emily breaking the news of her pregnancy after agreeing to be maid of honour at Chloe’s wedding to Jason in January. She recalls: “She was panicking I’d be mad with her for being pregnant at my wedding, but I thought it was lovely.”
A fundraiser started her Emily's family has raised nearly £12,000 (Matt Hughes Photography)Emily was full-term when her waters broke at home on February 5 – her 26th birthday. Taken to Royal Stoke University Hospital by her mum and Tyler, she was kept in overnight.
A decision was made to induce her at 12am on February 6. Chloe says: “Just after 6am, she went into active labour. She Facetimed me at about 6.30am, she was taking her gas and air and speaking to me as normal. About 40 minutes later, my mum contacted us and told us to get to the hospital.”
Emily had become a bit sleepy after having her gas and air and medication, but Chloe says: “Then she took a really deep breath and collapsed and everyone rushed in and took her to surgery. The doctors rushed her into theatre and got Harley out. Harley was born at 7.56am and just after 12pm the doctors told us Emily had passed. They tried to resuscitate her a couple of times, but they couldn’t.”
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Emily's waters broke on her 26th birthday
Emily was described as perfectly healthy by her family, and was a regular runnerChloe and her family remain baffled as to how this could have happened to such a healthy young woman. She says: “As far as we knew, she had nothing wrong with her. Emily loved running and regularly went on runs with Tyler. She did a half marathon a couple of years ago.”
The hospital is still determining an exact cause of death for Emily, whose funeral will be held on March 1 at Carmountside Crematorium. Chloe continues: “The doctors believe it was a pulmonary aneurysm, but they have to see if there was anything underlying.
“It will take a little while. We are happy with the doctors and nurses and very grateful to the neo-natal unit, as they kept Harley safe.”
Luckily, Harley is perfectly healthy and he has become the family’s main focus. Chloe says: “Harley’s the absolute spit of Emily. He’s got her big blue eyes, he’s got her nose – his whole face is Emily. He would have loved her.”