A West Lothian couple whose baby was born nine weeks early in an Edinburgh hospital have branded the experience 'terrifying'.
Meghan and Paul Godsman welcomed baby Blake prematurely in May last year, and said they were 'naive to the reality' of what it would be like having a baby in the neonatal unit.
With Blake now out of the hospital and doing well, the couple are taking on a mammoth challenge to raise funds for Simpsons Special Care Babies.
READ MORE - Horrified Edinburgh resident captures moment 'feral boy kicks in her door'
READ MORE - Edinburgh set to welcome breakout star Chappell Roan for Summer Sessions concert
The Linlithgow couple will cycle over 230 miles, looking to 'help the charity that saved Blake's life'. They're taking on BP's Coast 2 Coast cycle challenge.
After Blake was born, he was admitted to the Simpson Neonatal Unit at the Infirmary where he stayed for nine weeks. The Godsman's were able to stay there thanks to facilities available in the unit, meaning they could be close to their son while he was in a critical condition.
Paul, an offshore wind engineer at BP, said: "As much as the neonatal unit is there to care for the babies, there is a huge support need for parents who are navigating this terrifying experience.
Sign up for Edinburgh Live newslettersfor more headlines straight to your inbox
"“We were so grateful to stay in one of two parent rooms on the neonatal ward for the first four weeks of Blake’s life when we really needed it. It meant we could wake up and walk along the corridor to be beside him. If we’d been driving home to Linlithgow every night, we’d have been an hour away from the hospital should anything happen.
"That would have put an even bigger strain on us."
Meghan added: “When I first went into labour, Paul was with two members of the BP Coast 2 Coast committee cycling in Inverness so it seems fitting that we will now cycle together with Paul’s colleagues to help raise funds for the charity that saved Blake’s life."
Paul continued: "Although I’ve completed Coast 2 Coast a couple of times prior and seen the incredible amounts of money raised for charity, I’ve never had that personal connection with the charity before but this year I’ll be cycling in a totally different headspace."
"Our goal is to raise money to help the unit improve its support for parents, refurbish family rooms and facilities and buy specialist equipment. I was also extremely grateful to my employer BP, which allowed me to have extended leave so I could be with my wife and son while he was being cared for in hospital."
Looking back on the experience at Simpsons Neonatal Unit, Meghan added: "We were naive to the reality of what it felt like to have a baby in the neonatal unit and we were shocked to learn how common this is for families.
Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community hereand get the latest news sent straight to your messages.
"Before Blake was born, we hadn’t realised there are only three centres of excellence in Scotland for babies requiring complex specialist care and people from across the country must travel to come to these centres in Edinburgh, Glasgow or Aberdeen. Now that Blake is out of hospital and doing well, we want to support the charity that gave him life and make sure other parents who find themselves in a similar position can receive the same support we did and go on to experience parenthood like we are now."
The cycle will take place over three days from June 6, and will pass through Aberfeldy, Grantown on Spey and the Lecht.
Emma Coffey, trustee at Simpsons Special Care Babies, said: "We can't thank Paul and Meghan and the Coast 2 Coast team enough for selecting SSCB as one of the charities to benefit from this year's fundraising. It’s thanks to supporters like them that our specialised staff can continue to provide care for the 750 families who attend the neonatal unit each year."
