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Edinburgh Live
23-05-2025
- Health
- Edinburgh Live
New parents' 'surreal' Edinburgh hospital stay after tiny baby born 14 weeks early
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info The parents of a baby who was born in Edinburgh 14 weeks early have opened up on their 'surreal' stay in hospital. Jenna and Liam Wilson went into hospital around 25 weeks into Jenna's pregnancy, after she experienced swelling in her feet and high blood pressure. Six days later, baby Ellis was born - weighing just 1lb 13oz. Jenna, 29, said their seven-week stay in Simpsons Neonatal Unit at the Royal Infirmary became 'their own bubble'. As the family look forward to Ellis' first birthday on August 1, the couple say that they 'wouldn't even have their baby' if it weren't for the staff at Simpsons. Liam, 32, is now planning a 40-mile walk from Forth Valley Hospital in Stirling to the Royal Infirmary, to raise funds for Simpsons Special Care Babies. The couple want to make the 'brutal reality' a little bit easier for other families who may be in similar situations. Speaking to Edinburgh Live, Liam said: "Jenna and I were expecting our first child in November last year. "At the end of July, she had a bit of swelling in her feet and high blood pressure, but was feeling completely fine within herself. We went to the hospital to get her blood pressure checked and basically never came back out. "She went in at around 25 weeks, and Ellis was born six days later on August 1. We lived at the Royal Infirmary for seven weeks. "They've got some rooms for families in the neonatal unit inside Simpsons so we lived there." (Image: Supplied) The parents, who live in Stirling, were moved to the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh after it became clear that Ellis would need to be born early. Once he was strong enough, they were moved through to Forth Valley Hospital - which has led to Liam's walk between the two hospitals. Liam continued: "We got out of hospital at the end of October, day before Halloween, when he was around three months old. "He went home on oxygen initially, to help with his breathing, because he's got chronic lung disease. He's off oxygen now and breathing fine, it's quite common with babies born early. "It might affect him for a few years, we won't really know until he grows up." With Ellis now in good health, Liam and Jenna have said the realities of what has happened are setting in. Looking back on their stay in hospital, Jenna said: "It was quite surreal. Sign up for Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox "But it became very, very normal as well. The outside world became a bit scary, it was like we'd never seen outside before. "It was really bizarre, because you were just so focused on everything that was going on inside the hospital." Liam added: "I don't know if you've seen the film The Terminal with Tom Hanks, but it was a bit like that. "He's stuck in the airport, and we were effectively the same, but in a hospital. It would be 11pm and we'd go downstairs for a walk and the place would be completely empty. "Most people would be out in the pub or for a nice meal and we'd be walking the corridors." While the couple struggled during their time in the hospital, they praised the 'incredible' staff at Simpsons who helped them through. (Image: Supplied) Jenna continued: "Simpsons saved his life more than, more than once. "The people, the staff, the doctors, the consultants, we wouldn't have our baby at home if it wasn't for these people. Every single person we came across helped me and Liam more than they ever knew as well. "Even just telling us about their weekends was nice because we didn't have a social life, so we lived our life through them. As well as taking incredible care of our son as well.' Jenna and Liam said one of their biggest challenges came after leaving the hospital, as they attempted to readjust into life. Liam said: "You kind of go from two full months of being around people to nothing. They become like family." Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages. Jenna continued: "We were so focused when we were in the hospital, we were in survival mode. It was 100 per cent on Ellis and him getting better. "I've struggled since I came home, because it hits you like a ton of bricks. The situation we went through wasn't a normal thing, and that's not how pregnancy is meant to go." Liam said: "We didn't have time to worry about ourselves really. "We just had to get through the day. It's strange in a way because as Ellis got better, that's probably when it was harder for us. "We had to learn how to socialise again in a way." (Image: Supplied) When we asked Liam and Jenna if they had any advice for parents who may be in similar situations, Jenna said: "I wouldn't have gotten through that situation had I not had Liam. Whether its your partner, or a family member or just someone you can be vulnerable around - you need that. "It's impossible to do it on your own. It's really difficult.' Liam added: "I think remembering it's OK to have a day where you find things tough and you feel like you can't do it. "We've seen other parents who were kind of burning themselves out or they wouldn't go for lunch. I think that's what kept us going, the fact that we would go and we would have a proper meal to kind of refuel almost." You can find Liam's fundraiser for Simpsons Special Care Babies here.
Edinburgh Reporter
29-04-2025
- Health
- Edinburgh Reporter
Parents join charity cycle for Simpsons
Parents Paul and Meghan Godsman are to join the charity cycle challenge, bp Coast to Coast, to raise funds for the charity which helped them after their baby's early arrival. Blake Godsman was born in May 2024 nine weeks early and was admitted to the Simpson Neonatal Unit at Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. He was cared for there for nine weeks until he was allowed to go home with his parents. During his stay Paul and Meghan could stay over allowing them to be close to Blake while he was quite ill. This made a huge difference to them. Paul 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. '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. '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.' The Neonatal Unit is supported by Simpsons Special Care Babies (SSCB), a charity that exists to enhance the support and advice provided by the NHS to families of babies admitted to the unit from across the country. Paul has completed the cycle before but Meghan will be undertaking the challenge for the first time. He said: '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.' 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. 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. '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.' 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. 'Voluntary donations and fundraising are crucial for SSCB and this donation will help us purchase new specialist equipment such as the latest video laryngoscopes, which allow our staff to better visualise the airways of extremely small babies when inserting breathing tubes. This improves time, comfort and safety and ultimately helps save lives. 'We wish all the riders the best of luck and look forward to hearing how they get on.' The cycling challenge is 234 miles through Grantown-on-Spey, the Lecht and Aberfeldy over three days from 6 June 2025. Since it was established 16 years ago it has raised more than £2 million for charity. It is open to cyclists of all abilities with everyone covering their own expenses. Each cyclist must raise at least £1,000 and the fundraising is split between four charities: Russell Anderson Foundation, the Teddy Bear Development Playgroup and Murtle Market by Camphill School, as well as Simpsons Special Care Babies. To sponsor one of the four Coast 2 Coast charities, you can select your preferred charity by clicking the link below. Russell Anderson Foundation Murtle Market by Camphill Schools Simpsons Special Care Babies The Teddy Bear Development Playgroup Like this: Like Related
