A HEARTBROKEN father has spoken of his devastation at the death of his partner just two days after the birth of their baby daughter.

Margaret Hill died on the operating table from massive internal bleeding.

Steven Lawley is now trying to come to terms her death - and with bringing up his baby alone.

Margaret was one of three mothers who died at the Royal Bolton Hospital in just four months.

An independent inquiry has been launched into the deaths.

Mr Lawley, who had been with Margaret, aged 41, for 10 years, spoke from his family home in Astley and said: "I think they did everything they could to save her, but the inquiry will give us peace of mind, especially Margaret's family.

"I don't want anyone else to go through what I have, if we find out that something could have been done."

He told how he and Margaret, a nursery nurse, had been trying for a baby and how she had suffered the pain of four miscarriages.

The couple were delighted when baby Phoebe was born on Friday, December 16, weighing 6lb 4oz.

Margaret had gone into labour that day, and the couple went to the maternity unit in the early hours of the morning. Baby Phoebe was born at around 9.30am.

But on Sunday, December 18, Mr Lawley was called back to the hospital after Margaret's blood pressure rapidly dropped.

When he got there, she had been taken into theatre. He never saw her alive again.

Mr Lawley said: "As time went on, I knew something was wrong. The theatre staff kept coming to say there was no news and they were doing all they could. Then they came to tell me she had died. Her heart had failed as they tried to stop the bleeding.

"The next few hours were a blur, nothing was sinking in. The midwives looked after the baby for me. All I could do was cry, I was completely devastated."

Margaret was the second of the three mothers who died at the hospital after giving birth, in the space of four months.

Joanne Spragg, aged 27, of Darcy Lever, died in October from internal bleeding just hours after giving birth to her first child Ilaria.

Claire Hindmarch, aged 32, of Breightmet, died in January, hours after her baby daughter Kimberley died in the womb and she became ill with pre-eclampsia.

Mr Lawley said he only learned that two other women had died at the hospital's maternity unit when the hospital rang him on Saturday to say there was going to be an internal inquiry.

Hospital chiefs have already carried out their own investigation and could find no evidence that the cases were anything more than a tragic coincidence.

Mr Lawley, a portable building fitter, is off work for the foreseeable future and his employers have given him as much time as he needs to look after Phoebe.

He is now awaiting the result of the independent review, which is being carried out by a senior obstetrician, anaesthetist and midwife consultant from other Trusts. The review is expected to report back by the end of February.

Margaret was monitored carefully throughout her pregnancy by staff at the hospital and had to be given hormone injections.

Mr Lawley said: "Anytime Margaret didn't feel well, she went up to hospital and they checked her over. We must have had about eight scans. She was well looked after.

"She was a few days overdue when her contractions started. We went into the hospital and Phoebe was born a few hours later.

"She was sitting up in bed feeding the baby and was fine throughout the Friday.

"When I went to see her on the Saturday, she was complaining about neck ache and had been told to lie down.

"I didn't go to see her on the Saturday night because her friend wanted to go and you can only have a certain number of visitors.

"Margaret rang me on the Sunday morning to ask me to bring some things up for the baby. Just as I was leaving, the hospital rang asking me to come up straight away. When I got there, she had already gone into theatre.

"After Margaret died, the hospital staff were excellent. They put Phoebe in her own little room and helped to look after her while I sorted myself out. The midwives were upset themselves.

"Now it is just as a case of getting on with it. There is nothing else I can do. Phoebe is a really good baby. I am managing well with the sleepless nights."

Miss Hill's sister Clare Marsden, aged 45, of Stranraer, said: "One minute we were celebrating the birth of the baby and the next, Margaret was gone.

"She really wanted a baby. It meant the world to her.

"After all her problems, she used to say 'I'll have this baby if it kills me' but she would never have known what was going to happen."