Dad heartbroken after new mum dies one day after giving birth to son
Just one day after proudly welcoming his baby boy into the world, a new father has had to share the heartbreaking news that his partner and mother of his child has died.
Sarah Bertrand, 29, and Jean-Luc Montou were celebrating the happiest day of their lives - the birth of their first son, Julian Charles Montou, when just 24 hours later she passed away after going into cardiac arrest, FOX News reports.
Now, funds are pouring in for the US family via a GoFundMe page after they were left to face the shock passing of the new mother.
Almost $20,000 has been raised to help the new father and baby.
“Just over 24 hours later, at roughly 4:50pm on May 10th, 2017, Sarah died as a result of a pulmonary embolism that stopped her heart instantly,” Mr Montou wrote on the GoFundMe page.
“We did not have life insurance for Sarah, so I’m left with my daughter Jane and my brand new son Julian with nothing to help.”
Photos posted to Mr Montou’s Facebook page show the happy Louisiana family cuddling newborn Julian after his birth.
In a post on May 11, Mr Montou informed his friends and family of his partner's tragic death.
“Sarah wanted everything for Julian and he made her so happy,” he wrote on the GoFundMe page, which has exceeded its $8000 goal.
“I had never seen her so strong, so confident, and so joyful as when she held her new baby boy. While I miss her so much myself, as well as her entire family, this is intended to leave something for Julian and to help with Sarah’s sudden funeral costs.
“She only wanted the best for our son and the least I can do is try to get help, since she won’t be around to do so."
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Mr Montou says that while the hospital is still investigating the cause of his partner's death, doctors suspect she suffered an amniotic embolism — an extremely rare childbirth complication that causes heart and lung collapse and internal bleeding.
"Once the symptoms start showing, it's already begun," Mr Montou told TODAY, claiming that Bertrand complained of a headache and appeared to be having a seizure before she died.
"I remember thinking it would be OK because we were in a hospital — and the staff tried so hard to help her — but I knew it was serious when they started doing compressions and began using the defibrillator."
The couple didn't immediately announce the birth of their son, instead waiting until they were released from the hospital so they could take photos of him in his nursery to post to their social media accounts.
However, once Bertrand died, Mr Montou penned a heartbreaking post, alerting friends and family that Julian had arrived, but Ms Bertrand had died just hours later.
"Sarah didn't make it," Montou wrote in the viral post.
"My last 24 hours with her was the happiest I'd ever been...I loved this woman like no other and she died in front of me while I held our son. Please take a few moments to remember this woman because she was the absolute best thing that has ever happened to me and Jane" — his three-year-old daughter from a previous relationship.
"While she will be missed so much, I want to honor her memory by raising Julian to be the best man I can make him, but it will be so hard with her sudden loss," Mr Montou wrote on the GoFundMe account.
