Family welcomes funding for pre-eclampsia test after son's death

A family who lost their 12-day-old son have welcomed a Scottish government pledge to fund testing for pre-eclampsia in pregnancy.

Ami Geddes, from Erskine in Renfrewshire, became life-threateningly ill with "huge symptoms" of pre-eclampsia during her second pregnancy in 2021.

Her son Clark was delivered at 24 weeks and lived for just 12 days.

After their campaign, specialist placental growth factor-based testing (PLGF) will be available in NHS Scotland to screen women for the condition.

Ms Geddes and husband Stuart launched Clark's Campaign with the aim of providing the specialised PLGF test for women in Scotland.

Pre-eclampsia is a condition that can affect pregnant women from the 20th week of pregnancy.

Symptoms can include high blood pressure and protein in the urine. It can lead to serious complications if not monitored or treated.

Ms Geddes was diagnosed with type one diabetes when she was a child, a condition that puts women at much higher risk of developing pre-eclampsia during pregnancy.

Her first pregnancy saw her son Camdyn born at just over 29 weeks.

Doctors suspect this was a result of the condition, that went undiagnosed at the time.

Ms Geddes said: "If we’d known it was pre-eclampsia with my first, we’d have been a lot more wary for Clark’s birth.

"But we were a wee bit in the dark and it came on so fast it was just a bit unknown."

Mr Geddes said he wonders if an earlier diagnosis had been available, whether Clark would still be alive today.

“When Ami and I had Clark, he was perfect," he said. "But his lungs just weren’t strong enough.

“It’s brilliant news that the Scottish government is going to fund this.

"We could not be prouder that our little man’s life will be saving the lives of mums and babies in his own country.”

The couple also welcomed a daughter, Connie, born last year via surrogate.

Pre-eclampsia affects about 5,000 pregnancies in Scotland each year, but it can be managed if spotted early enough.

PLGF is a blood test that indicates whether women require monitoring or delivery. It has been used in the NHS in England since 2016.

The Scottish Health Technologies Group recommended PLGF testing, but until now no health boards offered testing.

The Scottish government pledged funding of £259,000 for NHS Scotland to provide this testing.

Health Secretary Neil Gray said: “We are providing funding, to be shared across all of our health boards, to ensure this service can be delivered in 2024-25.”

The charity Action on Pre-eclampsia welcomed the funding.

Chief Executive Marcus Green said: “We launched Clark’s campaign with Ami and Stuart so that no other parent would have to endure the tragedy of losing a baby to pre-eclampsia.

“It’s because of them and all the other families like them that this result matters so much.

"We’re proud that our years of campaigning have come to fruition and thank everyone who has supported us."