Mother dies giving birth to stillborn baby as devastated family pay tribute

A mother has died giving birth to a stillborn baby as her devastated family paid tribute to the woman who “put everyone else first”.

Asher Tonge, 43, was rushed to hospital to give birth to her fourth child in Leeds but never returned home.

Teacher Mrs Tonge was about to deliver her child when doctors said on January 1 that her baby's heart had stopped.

After the devastating newsthe beloved mother was told that she would have to give birth to the baby naturally.

Three days later she went to the hospital, where she was in labor for twelve hours.

But Asher's family said she had to be rushed to an emergency room after collapsing.

Tragedy struck the family when she died during surgery because she could not hold her baby.

The devoted mother left behind three children aged twenty, sixteen and four.

The tragedy comes as the number of women dying during pregnancy or shortly afterwards has risen to its highest level in two decades.

The MBRRACE-UK report shows that women from a black ethnic background are three times more likely to die than white women.

Professor Marian Knight, director of the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit and head of maternal reporting at MBRRACE-UK, pointed out “clear examples of maternity systems under strain.

FAMILY ADDICTED

And tributes have now been paid to the mother, with heartbroken Asher's 23-year-old niece Samiha Ali saying she had been “like a mother to her”.

She said: “It's been a huge shock to all of us, it's just one of those things you don't expect, we were all devastated by the loss of the baby and the last time I spoke to her I was just trying to get her to comfort. That.

“I just thought she would go to hospital for the stillbirth and then come home to recover – we never expected this.

“We're all still trying to understand what happened – it's just terrible. It's been very difficult, she left three children behind, so we're all trying to work together and help where we can.

“I told her on Thursday to be strong, it will be okay, you have to stay strong for your other three children and even then she said there are so many people who have it worse than her.

“She was like that, always thinking about everyone else and the impact it would have on them.

'She was a very hopeful and faithful person, she was so down soil, caring, she didn't worry about her pain, she worried about everyone else. She would always put others first.

“Aunt Asher had a smile on her face and even in the toughest of times, she trusted God and hoped for the best. She adored her children and made sure they grew up with everything and more.

“She was a second mother to me, a best friend to my mother and a companion to many.

“Whatever she had, she gave and always remembered those who were less fortunate. She worked as a computer teacher for teenagers, which she thoroughly enjoyed and was excellent at her job.

“My aunt was a warm, kind, compassionate and understanding woman and will be missed by many. She will live on forever in our memories and in her children.” The investigation into Asher's death continues.”