Mother of four, unborn daughter dead in ruptured uterus tragedy

A man and his four young sons are mourning the loss of their mother and her unborn daughter in an unexpected obstetric tragedy.

Ben and Lauren Thompson with sons last Christmas

A South East Queensland woman and her baby have died in a horrific obstetric tragedy that has thrown four little boys and their father into the depths of grief.

Healthy and happy Lauren Thompson was almost 37 weeks pregnant with her fifth baby and had enjoyed a trouble-free pregnancy when she was rushed to Redcliffe Hospital with severe pains.

The 39-year-old suffered a ruptured uterus. Her baby girl Hannah did not survive the trauma, and for a week Ms Thompson fought for life before dying last Saturday.

“We were told that Lauren’s uterus had grown into her previous C-section scar,” partner Ben Thompson said.

“It didn’t show up in scans and it has simply left us in shock.

“I can’t believe she is gone.

“We have four boys aged from two to nine.

“The little ones have no understanding where their mum has gone.”

Ms Thompson’s cause of death is still in the hands of the coroner, but a condition can occur in pregnancy called placenta accreta spectrum when the placenta grows too deep into the uterine wall and can then lead to a rupture of the uterus.

Ben and Lauren Thompson with sons

It is considered an obstetric catastrophe.

“I remember when they told me she’d died. I fell to the floor wailing and sobbing uncontrollably,” Mr Thompson said.

“Then they said she was alive. She was going to make it and then she wasn’t. It felt like my emotions were being pulled from pillar to post.”

After Ms Thompson suffered a brain bleed the boys came into her room to kiss her goodbye.

“They all said ‘love you mummy’. I don’t think they really understood it,” Mr Thompson said.

“I held her hand through it all.”

Mr Thompson said passing Hannah’s body in the emergency department was hard.

“She looked exactly like our second son Liam,” he said.

“It was very hard. I started rocking and patting her and checking she was OK and happy.

“Then I realised no my child actually isn’t alive what am I doing?

“At least I got to hold her though.”

Mr Thompson said his partner was like a superwoman and was the centre of their world.

“She was a teacher and homeschooled the boys,” he said.

“She made everything look so easy and looked after everyone so amazingly.

“People say their wife is their other half in such a nonchalant way, but she truly was mine.

“She’ll be sorely missed and I’ll spend the rest of my life waiting for her.”

Just a week before the tragedy, the couple took their boys on a trip to Australia Zoo.

“It was a day to remember when we were all together and there was a lot of love and happiness, but something strange happened that day,” Mr Thompson said.

“During the crocodile show a lot of birds fly into the arena.

“Later that day Lauren told me she felt overwhelmed with emotion when the birds were flying in, and felt teary and so grateful for all that we have.

“I looked at her and said that on that same moment I felt that same well of emotion and almost came to tears.

“I can’t explain it. It was a moment of the most special connection.”

Mr Thompson said Lauren and Hannah would be cremated together, with the family to pick out a memorial location they can visit.

A GoFundMe campaign has been established to assist.