Cheyenne Clements, 18, from Bellingham, tragically dies at Lewisham Hospital just one month after giving birth to her son Oscar

The youngest of three children, Cheyenne Clements turned 18 on September 28, and was looking forward to being a mum.

Miss Clements, who lived near the Bellingham Estate in Southend Road, gave birth to Oscar, weighing just under 8lbs, on December 4.

The former Sedgehill School student had a natural birth at Lewisham Hospital and shortly after returned home to celebrate Christmas with her newborn son and family.

But she began to feel ill over the festive period, and visited her doctor after things returned to normal on January 4.

Sadly one month after welcoming Oscar into the world, she passed away in the same hospital she gave birth in just weeks before. 

In the wake of her death, her family have set up a fundraising page to provide a nest egg for the baby.

MORE TOP STORIES Marion Woods, Miss Clements' Aunt, spoke to News Shopper as her father Trevor, whom she lived with, was still too upset.

The 66-year-old said: “It’s a terrible tragedy. It seems to be a series of very unfortunate events that’s happened. It’s so sad.

“She had been feeling a bit unwell over Christmas and New Year’s Eve.

“The doctors were closed and she went to the doctors on Monday 4th, she had an appointment. Someone was looking after the baby.

“She had something wrong with her chest, she thought she had a really bad cold, something of that description, that’s why she went to the doctors.”

Despite attending with what she thought were just flu-like symptoms, the GP realised Miss Clements' was gravely unwell, and immediately phoned for an ambulance.

They called her father, who rushed to the surgery and travelled with his daughter in the ambulance to hospital.

Mrs Woods, a receptionist, continued: “They took her into resus and after the best part of an hour a doctor came out and said she didn’t make it.

“At 5.10pm she went to the doctors, at 7pm she was dead.

“They just said, she didn’t make it.”

Baby Oscar

It was a another blow for the family who lost Miss Clements' mum, Maria, just five years ago aged 47.

Mr Clements' was a full-time carer for his wife, who had MS.

Mrs Woods said the death of Miss Clements' came as a further shock to the family after losing her mother so young.

She added: “My brother looked after his wife for about 20 years.

“Since Cheyenne was born her mum was always poorly, it’s a sad story.

“He was shocked after Maria died.”

It is thought Oscar will continue to live with 57-year-old Mr Clements', and the family have set up a Justgiving page in the weeks since her death.

Mrs Woods, from Hood Avenue, Orpington, said: “The object of this Justgiving page is to give Cheyenne the best funeral we can at the end of her short life and to give her beautiful son, Oscar, a little savings pot at the beginning of his life, from the Mummy he will never know.

“I don’t know what the way forward is or what the future holds. But we just want to give this little boy something.”

Cheyenne and Oscar

Tributes have flooded in for the teenager, who studied music after attending Elfrida Primary School. 

A former Brownie and Scout, her family said she loved singing and auditioned for Bellingham's Got Talent, for which she received several medals.

Rob and Caroline Britchford posted: “We are sorry for your loss. Cheyenne was a pleasure to know and it has saddened and our Scout troop to which she belonged to some years ago.”

She had changed her occupation on Facebook to 'full-time mummy', as well as changing her background to a black-and-white picture of her and Oscar's hands. 

Her Aunt added: “She was looking forward to being a mother.

“She was posting things on Facebook, she named him before he was born, she knew it was a boy.

“She bought bits and presents for him.

A scan Cheyenne uploaded to Facebook

“She just had the first Christmas with Oscar, it’s such a shame the doctors weren’t open.

“Everyone has a cold and doesn’t think much of it. The hospital and doctors are shut over Christmas. It was just a series of events.”

Currently, a funeral has not been held as the results of the post-mortem, and possible inquest, are still pending.

A spokesman for Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust said: "A mother has sadly died shortly after the birth of her baby and our thoughts go to her family at this tragic time.

"This is an exceptionally rare occurrence and as with all unexpected deaths  has been referred to the coroner." 

To donate visit: crowdfunding.justgiving.com/nikki-savage