Shelby was my daughter. She was just 25 years old and experiencing her first pregnancy. Becoming a mum should have been the beginning of a beautiful new chapter in her life, filled with love, happiness and the excitement of watching her baby grow.

Instead, just 10 days after giving birth, Shelby tragically lost her life.

During her pregnancy, Shelby suffered from high blood pressure. As her family, we believe there were warning signs that were not recognised or acted upon by the medical professionals responsible for her care. We will forever be left wondering whether things could have been different if those signs had been taken seriously.

After giving birth, Shelby continued to suffer in pain. Rather than receiving the answers and medical attention she desperately needed, she was told that she needed to relieve her bowels. When her pain continued, she was told that she needed to be referred to a mental health team because her pain was believed to be in her mind.

Imagine being just 25 years old, a first-time mum, suffering in pain and looking to the people responsible for your care for help, only to feel that nobody was listening. Shelby deserved to be believed. She deserved to have her pain taken seriously and her symptoms properly investigated.

The inquest into Shelby’s death established the devastating consequences of what happened. The tear to her aortic valve due to high blood pressure caused internal bleeding, which led to sepsis and organ failure. Just 10 days after giving birth, Shelby was gone.

As her family, we are left with a heartbreak that words cannot fully describe. We believe the warning signs were there, and we are devastated by the feeling that Shelby’s suffering was not taken seriously. We will always be left with questions about whether more could have been done to recognise how seriously ill she was.

Shelby should still be here. She should have had the chance to enjoy motherhood, watch her baby grow and create a lifetime of memories with her child. Instead, her baby must grow up without their mum, and our family must learn to live with a loss that has changed our lives forever.

We are sharing Shelby’s story to raise awareness of pre-eclampsia and the dangers of high blood pressure during pregnancy and after birth. We want people to understand that the risks do not necessarily end when a baby is born. High blood pressure and ongoing or worsening pain after childbirth must never be dismissed, and women must be listened to when they say something is wrong.

We also want to highlight the devastating impact on families when they feel that their concerns have not been heard. A mother’s pain should never be dismissed as being in her mind without proper medical assessment. Every woman deserves to be listened to, taken seriously and given the care she needs.

We cannot bring Shelby back. We cannot take away the pain of losing her or give her baby the future they should have had with their mum. But we can share her story, speak out in her memory and help raise awareness so that other families might be spared this unimaginable heartbreak.

Shelby was not just a statistic. She was my daughter, a much-loved member of our family and a young mum whose life mattered.

She deserved to be heard. She deserved proper care. She deserved to live.

We will carry Shelby in our hearts forever. We share her story in the hope that warning signs will be recognised, mothers will be listened to and no other family will have to endure the devastation of losing a loved one just 10 days after giving birth.

For Shelby, and for every mother who deserves to come home and watch her baby grow up.