Heartbreaking final moments before yoga mum Lauren Verona’s sudden death

The husband of beloved yoga studio owner Lauren Verona, who died just hours after delivering their daughter at their Sunshine Coast home, has shared a picture of the touching moment Lauren held her tiny bub for the first time.

You are exactly where you are meant to be. Ryan Gaylard wills himself to remember and find strength in the words that his wife Lauren believed to be true. He knows Lauren, who died suddenly and shockingly after giving birth to their daughter Lucinda in June, would want him to remember this phrase that she had so often spoken.

You are exactly where you are meant to be.

In the depths of his despair and grief, of his cursing the universe for its unfathomable cruelty, he knows this is what Lauren would say to him. Lauren Gaylard, 42, the vibrant owner of the Sunshine Coast’s Zenko Yoga studios, who was widely known in the community as Lauren Verona, died from a suspected Amniotic Fluid Embolism (AFE) on the afternoon of June 8 after a “perfect” water birth at their home at Buddina, on the Sunshine Coast.

Ryan and Lauren Gaylard had found their perfect match in each other.

The rare, life-threatening birth complication, that is not fully understood, is thought to be the result of an allergic-like systemic inflammatory response to amniotic fluid entering the mother’s bloodstream, which may occur as part of the birth process.

It is currently unable to be predicted and can have a fatal outcome for both the mother and baby. Doctors have told Ryan that Lauren’s fate would have been the same had she given birth in hospital.

Gaylard, 46, who married Lauren in an intimate family wedding in a house at Yaroomba, near Coolum, in February, is also the stepfather to Lauren’s two daughters Allira, 11, and Evie, 10.

Popular yoga teacher and businesswoman Lauren Verona on her wedding day in February 2022, pictured with her daughters Allira (left) and Evie and husband Ryan Gaylard. Tragically, Lauren died after giving birth to her third daughter Lucinda in June. Photo: Facebook

Their world has now been tipped on its end. Gaylard is learning on the hop, as all new parents do, how to feed, dress and care for a new baby as a first-time father. While devastated at the loss of his wife and the girls’ mother, he is also adjusting to a new care arrangement for Allira and Evie, who now spend more time with their biological father.

“I have cursed the universe a million times, every single day, but every single day I hear Lauren’s words: ‘Trust in the higher plan’,’’ Gaylard says.

“Every day I wake up fatigued and drained and I think, ‘How the hell did this happen? Why Lauren?’ It’s hard because she gave so much in this world; she never stopped giving.

“But even with everything we are going through at the moment, what all three girls are going through, I know what doesn’t kill us will only make us stronger.

“Lauren taught and inspired and mentored so many people and made them realise they are not the first person to go through a hard time; that whatever pain you are going through, you’ll get through it and the most important thing is to just keep showing up. That’s the resilience of human nature.’’

Gaylard is receiving support from an equally devastated Sunshine Coast community of Lauren’s friends, co-workers, yoga clients and family members who have rallied to support him with everything from more than 100 litres of carefully screened and donated breast milk to simply telling him the ways Lauren touched their lives.

And when Gaylard looks into the soulful, inquisitive brown eyes of his beautiful new daughter, he can’t help but see his wife and he is reminded. You are exactly where you are meant to be.

Lauren and Ryan Gaylard on their wedding day in February 2022

Lauren and Gaylard planned what type of birth they wanted for their daughter.

They attended prenatal hypnobirthing classes and set up a birth pool in their Buddina home. Their birth plan was for either Lauren to use the birth pool in the early stages of her labour and go to the nearby Sunshine Coast University Hospital for the actual birth or, if all was going well, have the baby at home with the assistance of a doula.

Lauren had posted to social media about her “countless pregnancy complications’’ including a low-lying placenta (that can require a caesarean section birth), pubic symphysis pain, anaemia and gestational diabetes.

At the 36-week mark, Lauren posted that a scan showed her low-lying placenta was now clear of her cervix and her obstetrician had given the okay for her to birth naturally.

At 40 weeks, Lauren and Gaylard attended a routine obstetric appointment at the hospital, which Gaylard says was positive.

“We had a great chat with the obstetrician and he said to Lauren, ‘You know your body better than anyone else’,’’ Gaylard says.

“Lauren empowered other women by saying this herself. So we came home from the appointment and Lauren said, ‘Well, he’s fine with it, so we’re fine with it’.’’

Lauren Verona was well-respected in her local community. Picture: Helga Dalla.

Lauren had been experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions – the “false” labour pains that are common in the lead-up to a birth – in the week before Lucinda was born. But in another tragic turn of events, a week before her own death, Lauren’s best friend of 22 years, Kim Mastrowicz, 42, a personal mindset coach and event manager, passed away from breast cancer.

Gaylard says on receiving such stressful and traumatic news, Lauren’s body “went on pause’’ with all her contractions stopping for two days.

Then on June 5, at almost 41 weeks, Lauren posted that the past few weeks and months had been challenging but that she was “trusting the higher plan’’ and the “divine timing’’ of her birth.

On June 8, when another obstetric appointment was scheduled, Lauren woke in the morning to tell Gaylard her contractions were getting stronger and that “it could be on’’.

A pregnant Lauren Verona. Photo: Facebook

“We were supposed to go to an obstetrician appointment that day and I rang up and I said I believe my wife is in early labour,’’ Gaylard says.

“I told them it was Lauren’s third baby. I asked if we should come in for the appointment or wait until the labour came on a bit more. She (the nurse) said, ‘You guys sound too calm to be racing in here, just stay home and when you are ready to come in, come in’.’’

At 10am, Lauren got out of bed and started moving around and just before midday, she went to the toilet and the membrane of her amniotic sac ruptured, known as her waters breaking. She got in the birth pool and their doula arrived.

“We discussed if she wanted to go to the hospital,’’ Gaylard says.

“But Lauren said she couldn’t move because she was fully going into labour.’’

And from this point, labour was swift and their baby girl, Lucinda Lauren Elizabeth Gaylard, was born at 2.39pm.

Lauren Gaylard with her newborn daughter Lucinda and husband Ryan.

“It was Lauren’s perfect birth,’’ Gaylard says.

“She breathed her baby into this world, with no drugs, with my support. I delivered Lucinda, put her on Lauren’s chest and I cut the (umbilical) cord when it stopped pulsing. They had that skin-to-skin contact and Lucinda lifted her head and they looked at each other. It was such a happy, emotional time.’’

Gaylard says Lucinda’s breathing was a little bit laboured and she had some congealed blood around her mouth and nose. With instruction from the doula, he rubbed Lucinda’s back to “get her breathing going’’ and sucked the blood away from her nose and mouth.

“I gave her a couple of little rescue puffs and her breathing came really good,’’ Gaylard says.

“Our doula had called the ambulance to transport us to hospital. At this stage nothing was wrong with Lauren; the ambulance was coming to attend Lucinda. But when the paramedics walked in, their attention went from Lucinda to Lauren because she had started looking pale.

“They got her out of the pool and onto the kitchen floor where she birthed the placenta. From there, soon after, she had massive breathing difficulties.’’

Lauren was put on a stretcher, given oxygen and taken in the ambulance to hospital while Gaylard followed in his car with Lucinda and another paramedic. But during the 15-minute journey to hospital, Lauren went into cardiac arrest.

Lauren Verona with her family before her tragic post-birth death. Picture: Facebook

Gaylard, unaware of what was happening to Lauren, took Lucinda straight to the hospital’s neonatal unit where she was checked out and, because of the congealed blood around her mouth, ended up having 30ml of blood drawn out of her stomach.

When Lucinda was given the all-clear, Gaylard was met by the hospital’s chief emergency surgeon who told him Lauren had gone into cardiac arrest and undergone CPR but her blood wouldn’t clot. She needed her aorta (the body’s largest artery) to be clamped so she could undergo an emergency hysterectomy.

Gaylard, bewildered, shocked and not believing for one minute his wife wouldn’t make it, was allowed to be by Lauren’s side while they prepped her for surgery and while a CPR machine continued chest compressions.

“I’ve never seen so many people working so hard to save her,’’ Gaylard says.

“There was not one person standing still. They were all busting their arse to do everything they could for Lauren. The hospital staff left no stone unturned.

“I held her head and I talked to her. I said: ‘It’s not your time darlin’, we all love you, your daughters love you, you need to be here, you need to fight.’ I kept telling her to fight, to fight, to fight.’’

After her surgery, doctors told Gaylard they had been able to gain a heartbeat back but, ultimately, her blood wouldn’t clot and there was not enough blood left in her body for her heart to continue to pump.

“At no stage had I thought it was possible that we were ever going to lose Lauren,’’ Gaylard says. “The surgeon explained everything they had done … I believe they put about 14 litres of blood through her body – a human body only has about five litres. They tried everything they could.”

Popular yoga teacher Lauren Verona died just after her daughter’s birth. Picture: Facebook

Gaylard spent some time with Lauren before medical staff turned off the CPR machine that was still pumping her heart.

“I honestly don’t know how long I spent with her. Time stood still,’’ Gaylard says. “It was a this-can’t-be-happening moment; a surreal experience. I just talked to her and, even then, I thought, surely she is going to come back.

“In the end, I just had that reality: she’s not here. When the machine was turned off, my thoughts immediately turned to those poor girls, knowing the bond they had with their mother.

“Lucinda will never know her mum. But what’s easier? Never knowing your mum at all? Or the loss to Allira and Evie having had such a close bond? It’s just cruel.

“I’d never heard of this condition (AFE). How do you explain this? How can you get people to believe that this has happened? No one could believe it.’’

Allira and Evie, who had briefly seen their mother and new baby sister in the birth pool at their home after school, were in the care of their grandmother, Lauren’s mother, Kate, and it fell to her to tell the girls the tragic news about their mum. Later that night, the heartbroken girls came to the hospital to say goodbye to their mum and also to properly meet their new sister.

Allira and Evie told Gaylard it was both the saddest and happiest day of their lives.

Ryan Gaylard with his newborn daughter Lucinda. Picture: Russell Shakespeare

Lauren’s death is officially under investigation by the coroner but Gaylard was told by doctors they believe she suffered from AFE.

Early symptoms of the condition may include skin discolouration, shortness of breath, chills, confusion and abnormal vital signs, with other serious complications including seizure, loss of consciousness, stroke and brain damage.

Serious and life-threatening complications include cardiorespiratory collapse and severe bleeding called Disseminated Intravascular Coagulopathy, or DIC, that affects the body’s ability to clot and stop bleeding. The baby, if delivered after the mother exhibits symptoms, is also at risk of becoming distressed due to decreased oxygen supply.

That rare condition, that affects between two and six women per 100,000, currently remains unpreventable and poorly understood.

There are different degrees of the condition and, while each case is different, all are sudden and unexpected. Lauren’s death follows another shocking case in 2014 when 26-year-old dance teacher Kymberlie Shepherd, formerly of the Gold Coast, died in a Perth hospital during the birth of her first child, a son named Kyden.

Shepherd’s then fiance Wayde Kelly has spoken of the horror of seeing Kymberlie, who had no previous medical conditions or complications in pregnancy, pass away on the same day their son was born.

He has since done his best to raise awareness and support further research of AFE that has largely been led by the America-based AFE Foundation.

Founded in 2008 by California-based AFE survivor Miranda Klassen, it was established as the only organisation in the world dedicated to AFE and as an international network of those affected by the condition. Its primary objective is to better understand AFE causes, establish more effective treatments, as well as a way to better predict and diagnose.

The foundation maintains an AFE patient registry and it is the world’s largest database of AFE cases, with more than 250 submitted.

Despite his devastation at losing the love of his life, Gaylard knows it could have actually been worse because in some cases of AFE, the life of the baby is lost too.

“You wouldn’t believe the questions running around in my head but even if Lauren had been in hospital, the outcome would have been the same,’’ Gaylard says.

“This condition can have many outcomes including severe brain damage and/or loss of the baby too. There is always someone worse off in the world than you.’’

Ryan Gaylard with his newborn daughter Lucinda. Picture: Russell Shakespeare

On paper, Gaylard and Lauren were not an obvious perfect match. He was an ex special forces soldier and son of a Nambour cattle farmer. She was a former Melbourne public relations businesswoman turned plant-based yogi.

They met in 2018 at Lauren’s (now closed) Buddina Zenko Yoga studio, at a time when Gaylard was struggling after multiple overseas military deployments with the Australian Army.

When he walked into Zenko, he had recently returned from service in Kabul, Afghanistan, where he worked in Force protection for coalition mentors. Gaylard was, he says, a different person, who was short tempered, angry and suffering symptoms of post traumatic stress. He sought counselling and decided to turn to yoga after first trying it during a former deployment to Kabul in 2012. Lauren’s studio was not far from his Buddina house. He walked in and Lauren, with her “curly blonde hair and beaming smile” was the first person he saw.

Gaylard “immersed’’ himself in yoga, attending master classes and enjoying the physical challenges of advanced poses. He and Lauren soon struck up a friendship.

She knew he wanted to settle down and start a family and she did her best to introduce him to numerous women in her yoga and friendship groups. Lauren, separated from her then-husband and who already had her two girls, was not looking for a new partner.

“So we weren’t immediately the perfect match for each other in our eyes but, in so many other people’s eyes, we were,’’ Gaylard says.

“She tried to set me up with every single person at Zenko, it was so funny. She’d introduce me to everyone.’’

Ryan Gaylard with baby Lucinda. Picture: Russell Shakespeare

Ultimately, in about mid-2020, they realised their own connection and Lauren revealed she could see herself having another baby.

They found out they were expecting a baby in September 2021 while on a three-week camping trip with friends to Cape York in far north Queensland.

“Lauren is the most genuine person I have ever known. I always just wanted to meet a genuine person and she was standing in front of me the whole time,’’ Gaylard says. “We were so incredibly happy. Our morals and values and our beliefs in life aligned. I just loved everything about her.’’

Gaylard was born in Nambour, 100km north of Brisbane, and grew up on his family’s 121ha beef cattle farm at Dulong, west of Nambour, with his sister Stacey, 48, and parents Roslyn, 74, and Rowan, 75. His parents still live and work on the property.

Gaylard has worked as a lifeguard, been extensively involved with Queensland Surf Lifesaving and is a current member of Kawana Waters SLSC. In September 2019, he joined the Queensland Fire Service, requiring him to drive to and from Gladstone every four days from the Sunshine Coast.

But by the end of 2020, this job became untenable with Gaylard saying he had “run himself into the ground’’ and was diagnosed with glandular fever and then chronic fatigue syndrome. He is currently on leave without pay from the fire service.

Ryan Gaylard with his newborn daughter Lucinda. Picture: Russell Shakespeare

He has recently been selected to compete in an Australian Defence Force veteran team at the 2022 Lifesaving World Championships in Italy later this month, though for health reasons and with everything else that has happened, he is unsure of how or if he can attend.

“I’ve lived life to the extreme all my life. I just like helping people and Lauren was the same,’’ he says.

“She didn’t open the yoga studios to make money, but to bring yoga to as many people in the world as she can. She believed she was here to make a change in people’s lives and make people’s lives better and bring more love into the world through yoga. Lauren just wanted to help everyone.’’

Lauren used the surname of Verona as her business name, chosen after travelling to the city of Verona in Italy some years ago and finding a “connection’’ while looking up to Juliet’s balcony (of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet fame).

On her website, Lauren explains that Verona means “true image’’ and is known as the city of love. “Those of you who already know me, know I’m all about filling up your Love Tank,’’ she wrote.

“But it’s more than just love. I see it as a duty of care to fill yourself up first before you can help others. If you can’t look at yourself in the mirror with kindness, then that’s where you must start, with gratitude and appreciation.’’

Gaylard says he is heartbroken to only have had about two years together with Lauren but is grateful they married in February, after discussing whether to wait until after their baby was born. “I was just besotted, that I had found a genuine person, my soulmate, my perfect match. I couldn’t have met anyone more perfect,’’ he says.

“But we didn’t get long together. And that is one of the things that hurts the most. We had 10 lifetimes of stuff planned.

“I hadn’t met Lauren’s sister Emily until our wedding and we hugged and she said: ‘You’ve made my sister so happy’.

“With everything that has happened, so many people have told me how happy Lauren was; that they could see it in her photos, in her posts. She was as happy as I was.’’

Ryan Gaylard and his wife Lauren, who tragically died after giving birth to their daughter Lucinda. Photo: Facebook

Gaylard plans to set up a program or patronage in Lauren’s name, to carry on her dream of bringing yoga to as many people in the world as possible.

He is determined to keep her Zenko Yoga studios going and rebuild the brand after it suffered tough times and studio closures during Covid. In 2021, Sunshine Coast studios at Buddina and Bli Bli were closed, with studios remaining at Noosa and Maroochydore.

“Lauren just wanted to help everyone,’’ Gaylard says.

“There are so many people who stopped coming to yoga because they couldn‘t afford it. People find it hard financially and Lauren would either find a way to give someone a membership or discount it. Her legacy will be to continue and expand her mission and to help people who need yoga, people who want yoga, but can’t afford a full membership.’’

As Gaylard grapples with his new future without Lauren and as a single dad to his Lucinda, he still feels Lauren’s guiding presence. He – and Lauren’s trusted Zenko staff and friends – have taken to asking each other: “What would Lauren do?’’

“I still feel Lauren with me. Every day,’’ Gaylard says.

“Because she was so genuine and she would talk about speaking your truth. Lauren just took any situation and found a way to adapt to it and overcome it and that’s what people loved about her. She would challenge your thinking and the typical thought process.

“So we ask: ‘What would Lauren say? What would Lauren want? What would Lauren think? What would Lauren do?’ We apply those questions with everything. And I use that with the girls too. What would mum say?

“Those questions are guiding my life at the moment – with the girls and the business. They are my guide to everything.’’

Originally published as Heartbreaking final moments before yoga mum Lauren Verona’s sudden death