A new mother gave birth to a premature baby and lost her mum in the space of 15 extraordinarily emotional hours.
Marilyn Loder, 35, was rushed into hospital to give birth 14 weeks prematurely knowing that her mum Elizabeth Moyle was losing a battle with breast cancer.
Marilyn gave birth to son Elisha, who weighed less than 2lb. She told her 58-year-old mum she had become a grandmother before she died a few hours later.
Marilyn said: "It was an emotional roller-coaster - I had the child I longed for but I lost my mum 15 hours later.
"I went from incredible happiness to terrible grief all on the same day.
"But at least my mum knew she was a grandmother and I'm taking a lot of comfort from that."
Elisha was born nine weeks ago and is still fighting for his life in a hospital's neo-natal unit.
He was not due until June 25th and even now he only weighs just over 3lbs.
Marilyn, of Cwmbran, South Wales, said: "Elisha was born at 8.20am and my mum died at 11pm.
"She wanted to be a grandma so much. Its so cruel she never got to meet him. She would have adored him.
"I wasn't allowed to hold him for the first three weeks because he was so very small.
"I could sort of sit him in the palm of a hand and support him with my fingers, but it was amazing.
"He stops breathing most days, sometimes several times and when he was born he had a hole in his heart 5.8 millimetres across.
"For his size that was massive but as the weeks have gone on, the hole has got smaller. It's two millimetres now, and they don't have to operate.
"We just enjoy every day as best we can."
Elizabeth was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 42 - the same age as when her own mother was diagnosed with the disease.
She died after a brave 16-year battle which included a double mastectomy and chemotherapy.