Longed-for baby girl born by caesarean after mother’s death
Paramedics perform emergency operation on nurse who died suddenly when six months pregnant
AN “OUTSTANDING” cardiac nurse who died suddenly when she was six months pregnant gave birth to her daughter when quick-thinking paramedics performed an emergency caesarean on her dead body.
Emma Olubayo, 41, collapsed at home after an undetected defect caused her heart to stop.
Paramedics spent an hour battling to save her but when their efforts failed they turned their attentions to her unborn child, delivering the baby girl on the living-room floor at the family home in Coalville, Leics, just moments after her mother’s death.
The nurse’s husband, Emmanuel Olubayo, 34, who had been watching television with his wife that Sunday afternoon, found himself a widower and a father at the same time.
Mr Olubayo called their daughter, who was 10 weeks premature, Aretha, and endured an agonising six weeks at her hospital bedside, willing her to pull through, while also grieving for his wife.
Incredibly, the little girl survived and was discharged last month, just ahead of her due date.
Devastated family and friends have raised more than £16,000 for Aretha after a crowdfunding page was set up by Clair Ripley, one of Mrs Olubayo’s colleagues. The popular nurse was described as “truly pas- sionate, hard working and caring,” and a “unique and vibrant” nurse. Mr Olubayo, who is self-employed, said: “The evening Emma died she was gasping for breath but we had no idea what was wrong. After paramedics arrived and failed to restart her heart, the only option to save our baby was to deliver in our living room.”
The paramedics battled for an hour to save his wife.
“While this was happening I was all over the place like a madman, but I kept on talking to Emma, holding her head and kissing her,” he said. “The last thing I remember her saying to me was ‘quick cuddle’, so I made sure I was cuddling her. “Emma battled to stay alive – I remember the way she looked at me, she was scared but she was fighting for Aretha.
“Now I’m fighting to make sure that Aretha has the best life and always remembers her mother.”
After Emma died, the paramedics decided to perform a caesarean. He said: “Aretha also stopped breathing at one point, but a paramedic managed to save her by placing her on his chest and having skin-on-skin contact.”
He and Emma met in 2016 on a dating website and were married 10 months later, before almost immediately finding out they were expecting a baby. “She couldn’t believe that she was having a child of her own,” Mr Olubayo said. “Although the pain of her being gone is indescribable, at least I have Aretha, and Emma’s wish of having her own child has come true.”
When Miss Ripley set up the crowdfunding page after Mrs Olubayo’s death in November she set a target of £500 but within 24 hours “it just went insane”, she said. “When Emma died it was such a huge shock, everyone was saying we should have a collection but it just seemed paltry and not really enough,” she told The Daily Telegraph.
“Emmanuel has been absolutely gobsmacked by the outpouring of love for Emma, it’s not just the money but the sentiment behind it.”
Mrs Olubayo worked as a cardiac nurse at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester, following in the footsteps of Yvette Mcdonald, her mother, who did the same job at the same hospital before retiring.
Mrs Olubayo went on to lead the critical care outreach team across all three Leicester hospitals before also leading a new sepsis team based at Leicester Royal Infirmary with impressive results. “We went from getting 55 per
‘At least I have Aretha, and Emma’s wish of having her own child has come true’
cent of patients treated within an hour to between 88 and 90 per cent,” Miss Ripley said.
Julie Smith, chief nurse at Leicester’s hospitals said: “Emma was a hugely popular and valued member of our team. She was always smiling, energetic, positive and completely dedicated to her role as a nurse.
“We were shocked and saddened at the sudden loss of a much loved colleague and our thoughts remain with her family.”