Tragedy as 'totally healthy woman', 26, who dreamed of being a mother, 'died just hours after giving birth to baby boy'
21 February 2024, 09:25
A "totally healthy woman" who has died aged 26 just hours after giving birth had "dreamed of being a mother her entire life," her family have said.
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Emily Lockley is thought to have died of a pulmonary aneurysm that damaged her heart while she was in labour earlier this month, although an exact cause of death is yet to be determined.
She died a few hours after her baby son, Harley, was delivered, despite the efforts of medical staff at Royal Stoke University Hospital.
Harley is now being raised by his father, Ms Lockley's partner Tyler Collinson, 27, alongside her bereaved family.
Ms Lockley's death came as a "complete shock" to her younger sister Chloe Stokes, 24, as she said that "Emily had a perfectly normal pregnancy".
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She added that her sister "dreamed of being a mum and would have wanted two or three babies if she could have".
A fundraiser to support Harley and pay for the funeral of Ms Lockley, who her family nicknamed 'The little Dancing Queen' for her love of Abba, has raised over £12,000 so far.
Ms Lockley and Mr Collinson had been living at her family home with her mother Tracey Wootton, 46, step-father Mark Wootton, 57 and step-brother Kieran Wootton, 17.
Mr Collinson and Harley are still living there now, as the family help him to raise his son.
Mr Collinson said: "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."
Ms Lockley appeared to be thrilled at the thought of being a mother. Her social media page was filled with pictures of her in her pregnancy, with friends congratulating her and wishing her well.
One picture, showing her holding her baby bump, has the caption: "In my mummy era". Another photo on Mr Collinson's page shows the expectant parents wearing sashes saying "Daddy to be" and "Mummy to be".
Announcing the pregnancy last August, she said: "Something exciting is making us glad, we're changing our names to mum and dad. Baby Collinson due February 2024."
Ms Lockley went into Labour on February 5, her birthday, and was taken to hospital with Mr Collinson and her mother. She was kept overnight and induced at midnight. She began looking very sleepy, and suddenly "took a really deep breath and collapsed".
Ms Stokes told the Mirror: "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."
"As far as we knew, she had nothing wrong with her," Ms Stokes.
"Emily loved running and regularly went on runs with Tyler. She did a half marathon a couple of years ago."
Despite Ms Lockley's death, her family remain grateful to the hospital for the care they took of Harley.
Ms Stokes said: "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."
