STV NewsA couple whose baby died an hour after birth are backing calls for specialist bereavement support to become a standard part of care for families across Scotland.
Clare and William Stevenson’s eldest son, Campbell, died on November 3, 2024, shortly after being born with Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH), a serious birth defect in which the diaphragm does not develop properly.
Despite doctors’ efforts, Campbell could not be stabilised, forcing his parents to make the decision to stop resuscitation.
Following his passing, Clare and William spent four days in the hospital with Campbell, playing music and welcoming visits from friends and family. They created a memory box, complete with a tiny footprint.
STV NewsWilliam told STV News: “We were ready to go home by the end of the four days, but the hardest part was knowing that we had to leave them.
“They were the best four days of my entire life, and we will never forget them.”
Even before leaving hospital, the couple were worrying about what would happen next.
“It’s three in the morning, and you’re thinking to yourself, we need to leave the hospital at some point. What do we do?” William said.
Looking for support, the couple followed the advice of a midwife and referred themselves to Held In Our Hearts, a service which provides dedicated, practical support to families affected by baby loss.
Returning home to a newly decorated nursery without their bundle of joy proved to be a second wave of trauma.
STV News“Going home was the hardest part,” Clare said. “I’m not sure how I would have coped without having their support.
“I think being able to talk to someone who’s been through something similar was so important to me, and to see them going on to live a happy life that gave me hope that in the future we could be the same.”
The following week, the couple visited the charity for help navigating their next steps.
William said: “We went to the offices to speak about our next steps, funeral arrangements, all these different types of things that you’ve never thought you would even have to ever think of.
“If we didn’t have this, I can’t imagine how dark our lives could have been. To imagine that families have never had this support across Scotland, over the years, or in the present or even in the future, it’s a scary thought.”
The couple now support calls for bereavement support to be available automatically to families across Scotland.
A survey by Held In Our Hearts found that more than half of bereaved parents experienced thoughts of self-harm or suicide, while 10% had attempted to take their own life.
Nicola Welsh launched Held in our Hearts’ Hospital To Home scheme following her own experience of baby loss in 2009.
STV News“I just had this overarching feeling. If I wanted somebody to come to my house and ask me how I was, and sort of sit and hear how it had affected my life, Then that same year, I had a couple of miscarriages, and we still felt quite isolated, and that felt like I had to do the hard work.
“I had to go to the GP, I had to find the care, I had to ask if there was anything for me.”
She says it’s “vital” to ensure families are referred for specialised support to address what she describes as a “gap in care.”
“We know that life after is difficult. It’s not just the loss, it’s the life after that. It’s vital that we get that right.
“We cannot be offering people leaflets or telling them to find support themselves in 2026. It should be an automatic right.
“None of us are prepared to survive this in life, and we’re looking for a minimum framework so that it’s not a nice-to-have, it’s an automatic response.
“We’re able to sit alongside families until they feel that life is returning to something that feels more manageable.”
The service is currently available in just five health boards across Scotland, but campaigners want it to become a mandatory part of bereavement care, and have written to the Scottish Government calling for change.
STV NewsPublic Health Minister Maree Todd said: “The loss of a baby has a devastating impact on women, their partners and families, and my heart goes out to everyone who has experienced a pregnancy or baby loss.
“We have provided funding to Held In Our Hearts’ to support the Hospital to Home programme since 2024. We continue to fund baby loss charity Sands to deliver high quality and sensitive bereavement care in all health boards.”
For Clare and William, the charity had also helped them navigate the anxiety and joy of welcoming their youngest son, Miller.
They talk to him about his big brother and call the nursery ‘the boys’ room’ to help keep Campbell’s memory alive.
Clare said: “There are teddies and gifts that people bought for Campbell that we’ve still got out. Miller uses some of them now, just like any little brother would use his older brother’s things.
“It’s just these wee touches that show he’s always going to be with us and we’ll continue to tell Miller all about him.
“Even though he is not here physically, he is here in our hearts every day.”
Help and support is available now if you need it. Details of services available can be found at stv.tv/advice
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org
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