Samantha Stacey and her baby daughter Ruby wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Weeks ago, she was writhing in agony as midwives and nurses ran with her trolley through the corridors.

Miss Stacey, 29, had a rare and life-threatening condition, which could easily kill her and her unborn child.

Medics had found her womb had ruptured. She was losing blood. And every minute counted.

Miss Stacey, of Loke Road, said: 'I was so scared, I didn't want to die, I wasn't ready to check out yet. I kept thinking of my children.

'I said to the doctor just before he put me to sleep, please just save my baby.

'Then the midwife just stroked my hair to calm me down as I went to sleep after the anaesthetic.'

Miss Stacey, also mother to Chloe, 7, and Archie, 15 months, had a relatively healthy pregnancy carrying Ruby, who was due to arrive on March 14.

But on February 24, Miss Stacey went to the Queen Elizabeth hospital to have a routine iron transfusion whilst partner Kevin Bocking, 37, stayed at home to look after their Archie.

'I started sweating and feeling really sick,' she said. 'The midwife said I didn't look well at all.'

Miss Stacey then started feeling a very sharp pain.

As the pain intensified, the baby's heart rate suddenly dropped.

'The pain was now that bad I couldn't breathe, then they ripped off the monitor and the nurses were running me along to the delivery suite.

'I knew it was bad as you only tend to see them run like that on the telly.'

Medics felt her stomach, which was constantly hard as a result of filling up with blood from her womb rupturing. Miss Stacey lost around two litres of blood in the ordeal.

In theatre, doctors battled to save baby ruby, who was born unconscious.

Miss Stacey said: 'She wasn't breathing for four minutes. Doctors said another 30 seconds and we would have lost her.'

In the meantime, partner Mr Bocking, who has a daughter Elle, 15, had to find someone to look after Archie and find a way to get to hospital as Miss Stacey had drove the family car to attend her transfusion.

She said: 'I was only meant to be half an hour.'

After the drama, Miss Stacey came round from surgery with Mr Bocking at her side, who had seen his new daughter in intensive care.

She said: 'I suddenly woke up and panicked, oh no, I'm not there to pick Chloe up on the school run.'

Ruby was born weighing a healthy 6lb 15oz on the 24th February three weeks early.

Miss Stacey said that she was upset she couldn't see her daughter until the day after she was born.

She said: 'I was so ill and Ruby was all wired up in intensive care. Kevin was flitting between us.'

Although Miss Stacey did have caesarian sections with her elder two children, they are not linked to the rupture as her womb tore in a different area to her previous scar tissue.

Miss Stacey, who is back at home with baby Ruby said of the trauma: 'If I hadn't been at the hospital we probably wouldn't be here. I am not normally a believer in fate but god was looking over me.

'I have since found out that there is not usually such a positive outcome like there has been with me.'

Miss Stacey was full of praise for the staff at the hospital.

She said: 'They have been brilliant, they saved our lives. If we didn't have the hospital there we wouldn't of made it.'

Miss Stacey also praised the support of her partners family and said that they have been looking after her, doing the school runs and ironing.

Miss Stacey also said she and her partner are getting married next summer.

Ruby will be a flower girl along with bridesmaids Elle and Chloe with Archie being a page boy.

She said: 'I have got a lot to look forward to.'