She died having never had the chance to hold her babies.

This 36-year-old mother died giving birth to quadruplets conceived through IVF, never having had the chance to hold her precious babies.

For years Erica Morales and her husband Carlos underwent IVF desperate to have a family.

When she finally fell pregnant with quadruplets Erica from Arizona in the US was delighted. Friends have spoken about how she cherished her pregnancy, ready to finally be a mother.

The couple prepared a nursery and over-hauled their lives for the arrival of their four tiny babies.

But last week the unthinkable happened, Erica died hours after giving birth to her babies.

On Tuesday last week she was admitted to hospital with a swollen foot and tests showed her blood pressure to be 190/90. She had one month till the four were due.

On Facebook she wrote, “He said I have to get admitted until delivery. It’s been down lower today but it’s too late.

“He will keep me and he ordered some labs.

“He will push deliver up or stall it to to 34 weeks. I’m 31 tomorrow. He said I did phenomenal. A poster child for quads. He wish they could all go this way but this last part we have to do it carefully because u can stroke out with bad blood pressure. I’m sure I won’t but he looking at how to finish things.”

The Daily Mail reports that she was disappointed in their imminently early arrival “ I always want more but sometimes you just have to sit back and thank God for blessing up to this point and put it fully in his hands. Thanks for the prayers and everything else.”

Erica and Carlos’s babies were born, one baby girl and three boys. Finally, a family.

But hours later, for a reason which has not been revealed Erica died.

“She never got to hold them, she never got to see them,” Nicole Todman, Erica’s cousin and best friend, told FOX 10 News “It is so hard to know she fought so hard for her children. She will never get to brush their hair, hold their hand, watch them get married, none of that will ever happen for her.

The babies named Carlos Jr., Paisley, Tracy and Erica will now be raised by their father as he too struggles to come to terms with the death of his wife.

“We’ll have to remember her, we’ll have to tell her kids who she was,” her cousin, Erica Todman said “We’ll have to make sure they know how wonderful a person she was, how loving and how much she wanted them, and how much she loved them.”

A fundraising page set up for the family has now raised over $60,000 as the tragic story of this family goes around the world.

The site says “The expense of raising 4 children alone is quite daunting for any middle class family now with the loss of Erica’s income her husband will need all the help he can get.

“This is an extremely emotional time, Erica’s passing is traumatic and my goal is to help ease the financial worry as much as possible so every dollar helps if it’s $1 or $1000 it will all be used to provide for the beautiful babies Erica fought so hard to have and in the end gave her life for.”

Even a baby registry set up by Erica is being generously completed by strangers all touched by the devastating death of this new mother.

The miracle quads will never get to meet their mum, but hopefully they can one day know how many people we’re moved by her love for them.

You can visit the GoFundMe page here.