'Healthy' 19-Year-Old Mom and Her Newborn Died Just 16 Hours Apart – The Missed Symptoms That Raised Questions

She had booked a 4D scan that morning, one of the most exciting milestones of her pregnancy. Within 48 hours, her family was making funeral arrangements for both her and her newborn daughter. The tragedy would later uncover medical oversights that left loved ones searching for answers.

Mellodie-Ocean Jarman wasn't considered high-risk. At just 19, she had no diagnosed medical conditions, no history of complications, and every prenatal appointment had reassured her that her baby girl was doing well. With the nursery prepared and a name already chosen, she was in the final stretch of her pregnancy, an exciting countdown to motherhood.

But within a single weekend in February 2025, everything unraveled. The young mother-to-be collapsed without warning, setting off a desperate attempt to save two lives. In the hours that followed, a series of overlooked signs and late realizations left her family grieving and revealed a hidden danger that doesn't always come with obvious symptoms.

Early Life, Family Bonds, and First Love

Mellodie grew up in Atherton, Greater Manchester, as the only daughter in a lively household of five children. Nicknamed "Boo" by her family for the way she wore her hair in pigtails like the animated character in "Monsters Inc.," she was known for her warmth, humor, and self-assured spirit.

Her mother, Justine Ryan, remembers her as a natural caretaker — sassy but sweet, full of energy, and the type who loved to bake, dance, and keep everyone in check. "She was like an extra arm for me," Justine said. She recalled how Mellodie always stepped up to help with her younger siblings.

She took over tasks like managing school apps and the family's smart doorbell system, and always made her presence known. With four brothers to wrangle, she had no trouble asserting herself. "We called her our Queen," Justine shared.

Her sense of loyalty extended to her uncles, Steven and Conor, with whom she had a particularly close bond. Among the many people in Mellodie's life, there was one who stood out early on. Mellodie had her eye on Daniel Darbyshire, a classmate, for three years, admiring him from a distance until June 2022, when he finally asked her out.

"Mellodie skipped home from school that day," Justine remembered. "She was so happy when Daniel asked her out, and they were very much in love.”

After finishing school, both Mellodie and Daniel began working at a local Wetherspoons. They were a young couple with big plans, finding their rhythm as partners both in life and at work. But neither of them could have foreseen just how drastically their world was about to change.

Pregnancy, Preparation, and Early Symptoms

In August 2024, Mellodie began noticing irregularities in her menstrual cycle. Concerned, Justine suggested they make a doctor's appointment, but before they went, she urged her daughter to take a pregnancy test.

"I just had a feeling, a mother's intuition," Justine recalled. Mellodie didn't think she was pregnant and was stunned when the test came back positive. Despite the initial shock, she and Daniel quickly adjusted to the news. They moved in with Justine and began making plans for their new life together.

The family guessed early on that the baby would be a girl, and they were right. Mellodie chose the name Athena-Pearl, and everyone pitched in to prepare. Baby clothes were bought, the nursery was arranged, and excitement grew with each passing week.

The pregnancy was considered low-risk and progressed smoothly until January 2025, when subtle but persistent symptoms began to emerge. Mellodie started feeling breathless during everyday activities. She raised her concerns with her midwife, who suggested she might be low on iron and advised her to snack more often.

Another time, she was told the weight of the pregnancy could be affecting her breathing. But to Justine, something felt off. After one routine visit to the GP, she noticed her daughter had to stop several times on the walk home just to catch her breath.

"It didn't seem right to me," she later said. Still, no alarms were raised. The baby's development remained on track, and Mellodie continued preparing for the birth, trusting the reassurances she'd been given.

Sudden Collapse and a Critical Oversight

On January 31, 2025, Mellodie was 33 weeks pregnant and looking forward to a 4D scan, a moment she had eagerly anticipated. But while on her way to the appointment with Daniel and Justine, she collapsed without warning on the train platform. Her family caught her before she hit the ground and quickly called for an ambulance.

At the hospital, doctors attributed the episode to a combination of anxiety and low iron. Mellodie was given a glass of water and encouraged to focus on slow breathing. After a brief evaluation, she was discharged with a prescription for antibiotics and liquid iron supplements.

She also mentioned pain in her groin, but with the baby's heartbeat sounding strong, no further testing was done. Although the episode had clearly rattled the family, the clinical response remained cautious. The focus stayed on treating the iron deficiency, and Mellodie was sent home to rest.

Justine remained uneasy, but with no clear diagnosis, they clung to the hope that things would settle. Mellodie, meanwhile, stayed quiet about her discomfort, trusting the reassurances she had received and looking forward to the final weeks of her pregnancy.

A Night That Changed Everything

The following evening, February 1, seemed uneventful at first. Daniel was preparing for a night out with friends, hoping to enjoy one last evening before stepping into fatherhood. The family shared a Chinese takeaway, and Justine went to bed around 10:30 p.m., unaware that everything was about to unravel.

Just after 11:00 p.m., Mellodie called out from the hallway, saying she had fallen. Justine rushed out of bed and found her daughter disoriented and confused. She managed to guide Mellodie into the bathroom and tried to keep her calm, encouraging her to breathe slowly as the hospital had previously advised.

But moments later, Mellodie collapsed again, this time into her mother's arms. Her eyes rolled back, and her breathing stopped. "I screamed for my son to call the ambulance back," Justine later recalled. Paramedics arrived quickly and began performing CPR, but Mellodie remained unresponsive.

It took more than 45 minutes before she could be moved. In a state of panic, Justine followed the ambulance to Royal Bolton Hospital, where Daniel and Mellodie's uncle Steven were already on their way.

Inside the hospital, an emergency C-section was performed. At 12:32 a.m. on Sunday, February 2, Mellodie's daughter, Athena-Pearl, was delivered seven weeks early and placed on life support. Just 80 minutes later, at 1:52 a.m., Mellodie was pronounced dead.

Sixteen Hours of Hope and Heartbreak

As Mellodie's loved ones tried to process the news of her death, their focus shifted to the tiny baby fighting for survival in the neonatal unit. Athena-Pearl had been born severely premature, and although she was placed on life support immediately, doctors warned that her condition was critical.

Justine held onto hope, knowing that Mellodie would have wanted every effort made to save her daughter. For a brief time, the machines and tubes offered a fragile sense of purpose, something to cling to in the face of overwhelming grief.

But later that day, the hospital called with devastating news: Athena was deteriorating. The family returned to the hospital and arranged for a priest to perform a baptism. In those final hours, they made the difficult decision to transfer her to the mortuary, where she would be laid in her mother's arms.

At 6:24 p.m. on February 2, sixteen hours after she was born, Athena's life support was turned off. Daniel pushed his daughter's pram back to the neonatal ward one last time. Steven gently bathed and dressed her for the final goodbye.

Mellodie had looked forward to all of these first moments with her baby, but now, her family was carrying out those tasks in her place. "Together, they fell into an eternal sleep," Steven later wrote on the family's fundraiser page. "Bound by an unbreakable bond of love that transcends all."

The Aftermath and Funeral Arrangements

In the days that followed, the family struggled to comprehend the scale of their loss. Daniel, just 18, had gone from anticipating fatherhood to planning a funeral. "He doesn't know what to do with himself," Mellodie's uncle Steven said. "He's lost everything."

For Justine, the grief came in waves. NHS appointments for Mellodie continued to arrive by mail, scan reminders and test schedules, each one a painful reminder of what should have been. She couldn't bring herself to touch Mellodie's room.

All the baby clothes, the crib, and the carefully arranged belongings remained exactly where they were, untouched and waiting. Mellodie had planned to book a Valentine's football tour for Daniel, a gift he never got to receive from her. Wanting to honor that gesture, Justine arranged the trip herself, and Daniel went with Mellodie's uncle and brothers, Steven and Devon.

The funeral was held for both Mellodie and Athena-Pearl together. A white horse and carriage bore the white coffin, as Paloma Faith's "Only Love Can Hurt Like This," a song special to Mellodie, played in the background. Steven compiled a 10-page Celebration of Life booklet filled with photos and memories to mark the occasion.

A GoFundMe campaign was created to help cover funeral expenses. Originally set at a goal of $9,500, the fundraiser received an outpouring of support and raised over $22,000. The shared farewell was the family's final way of keeping mother and daughter together, even in death.

Medical Findings and the Missed Warnings

Weeks after the funeral, the family received the official postmortem results. Mellodie had died from a pulmonary embolism, caused by deep vein thrombosis (DVT). The clot had formed in her leg and traveled to her lungs, blocking the blood flow and triggering cardiac arrest.

Justine was stunned. Mellodie's left leg had shown no typical signs — no redness, no swelling, no obvious pain. What she did experience were persistent symptoms: breathlessness, dizziness, groin discomfort, and difficulty seeing. Each one had been flagged. Each one, in hindsight, aligned with the signs of a developing embolism.

Athena-Pearl's cause of death was also confirmed. According to the pathologist's report, she died from severe hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, multiorgan dysfunction, prematurity, and maternal cardiac arrest. Her brain and body had been deprived of oxygen during the emergency delivery.

Justine couldn't shake the what-ifs. "If Mellodie had been kept in hospital after that first collapse, perhaps she could have been saved," she said. "If Athena-Pearl had been delivered earlier, maybe she'd have made it. We will never know the answers."

The family now understood the clinical terms behind the tragedy. But understanding them didn't make it any easier to accept.

Pulmonary Embolism in Pregnancy: What Every Expectant Family Should Know

A pulmonary embolism (PE) occurs when a blood clot — often from the leg — travels to the lungs and blocks a major artery. During pregnancy, the risk of developing deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and PE increases significantly, especially in the third trimester. This is due to hormonal changes, slower blood flow, and increased pressure in the veins.

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, the most common symptoms of PE include:

• Sudden shortness of breath
• Chest pain (often worse when breathing)
• Dizziness or fainting
• Rapid heartbeat
• Low blood pressure
• In some cases, warning signs of DVT may appear first, such as:
• Pain or tenderness in one leg
• Swelling, redness, or warmth in the affected area
• Discoloration or tightness in the skin

Mellodie had no visible signs of DVT, but she did report symptoms that could point to circulation issues. In her case, these were dismissed as routine pregnancy discomforts or linked to low iron levels. No imaging was performed. No urgent referral was made.

Pregnancy-related pulmonary embolism remains one of the leading causes of maternal death in developed countries. Early detection is critical, but it often depends on recognizing subtle signs and acting quickly.

Justine now speaks out not just as a grieving mother but as an advocate for awareness. She hopes that by sharing Mellodie's story, other lives might be saved. "Nothing will bring Mellodie back," she said. "But I am speaking out so that other lives can be saved, in Mellodie's memory."

What Their Story Leaves Behind

Some stories leave a mark long after the headlines fade. They linger not because of their tragedy alone, but because of what they reveal. Mellodie and Athena-Pearl's deaths have become one such story, echoing quietly but urgently through maternity wards, waiting rooms, and family homes.

This is not a story about rare complications. It's a story about patterns too easily dismissed, symptoms too easily minimized, and lives interrupted before anyone could understand why. It asks uncomfortable questions about what we overlook and how we respond when a pregnant woman says something doesn't feel right.

There is no single solution, no one moment to change everything. But listening more closely, questioning more thoroughly, and responding more carefully may be the beginning of something better. Because the silence that followed those machines should not echo without meaning.