Family mourns death of first-time mother Chelsea McGillivray during childbirth

The family of a first-time mum who died in childbirth say her newborn son is the "light" that's keeping them going through their grief.

Chelsea McGillivray suffered an unknown cardiac event during labour last Monday after what was believed to be a textbook pregnancy.

The 31-year-old, from Rutherglen in South Lanarkshire, received CPR but doctors were unable to resuscitate her.

Her son Tommy was taken to the neonatal intensive care unit where he was monitored after the traumatic birth, but got home healthy two days later.

"I don't think it has hit us yet, it doesn't feel real," Chelsea's sister-in-law Lorna McGillivray told BBC Radio Scotland's Drivetime programme.

"We will be laughing and telling stories one minute then we're breaking down the next - so it's a rollercoaster at the moment.

"We are all rallying around as much as we can and trying to navigate this new reality with baby Tommy here and Chelsea not."

Chelsea's pregnancy was at full term when her waters broke and she went to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.

She was checked over and told to go home.

Lorna, who is married to Chelsea's brother Steven, said her contractions then came on quickly.

Chelsea went back to the hospital ward with her partner Jack and her mum, where it was confirmed she was in labour.

"She was in labour pain but she was still in good spirits and cracking jokes," Lorna said.

But she said when Chelsea was moved to the bed ready to give birth, she "crashed".

The midwife raised the alarm and emergency teams began CPR immediately.

Lorna said: "They thought she was maybe panicking and couldn't catch her breath.

"She was talking one minute then the next, she wasn't."

All of Chelsea's prenatal tests had been normal and the family said she had no underlying health conditions.

"She wasn't unwell - there were no signs of this," Lorna added.

Data from MBRRACE-UK, the official body for auditing deaths among mothers and babies, found 252 women in the UK died during pregnancy or in the weeks after giving birth from 2022 to 2024.

This is the equivalent of 12.8 deaths for every 100,000 women giving birth, according to the statistics.

The overall rate of maternal death in the UK during this period was 20% higher than the rates from 2009 to 2011.

Doctors managed to deliver Tommy safely and he is now at home with dad, Jack.

"Tommy is doing amazing," Lorna said.

"He's just perfect and he is the light that is keeping us going through all of this.

"We're still trying to celebrate him being here even though we are going through the hardest time of our life because that is what Chelsea would want."

Lorna said Chelsea was looking forward to being a mum. She had organised everything from the baby shower and gender reveal to personalised decor for when Tommy arrived.

"We knew what kind of mum she would be because she doted on my two boys - her nephews," she said.

"She was almost at full-term pregnancy and she was determined to take them to the park for a picnic, running about after them and playing.

"She had this infectious laugh, she was the life and soul of everywhere and she just loved being around people."

Lorna said she thinks about Chelsea's "big smile and dimples" in moments of sadness.

"Chelsea wasn't scared, she wouldn't have known this was going to happen and she held on long enough to get baby Tommy here," she added.

"She would want us to celebrate him and not let the grief consume us."

A NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde spokesperson said: "Our heartfelt condolences are with Chelsea's family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time."