Inverness mum urges mandatory support workers to be a legal requirement in Scotland after baby's tragic death

Highland News & Media

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00:00My name is Daisy McKenzie and I am mum to five boys,

00:03one of which is little Albie who we lost last year aged one.

00:08So I'm trying to raise awareness so that each family,

00:11after losing a baby or young child,

00:14gets the essential practical and emotional support that they need,

00:18as is, in the practical terms, a legal requirement in England just now,

00:21but isn't in Scotland.

00:23Albie was my little boy.

00:25He was just so, so special and so full of smiles

00:29and he was honestly one of the happiest people I've ever met.

00:32He was just a cheeky little kid.

00:42Last April, two weeks after his first birthday,

00:46we sadly lost Albie very suddenly in his sleep.

00:50He wasn't poorly, there was no reason for it

00:53and we eventually found out it was SUDC,

00:56Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood.

00:59Albie, happy birthday to you.

01:05But before we found all that out,

01:07we had the whole process of the ripple of what happens after a baby or a child dies,

01:13which was such a shock to me

01:14because I've never experienced anything like this before.

01:17I was so surprised at the level of police involvement that had to be involved,

01:21which I completely understand,

01:23but it still just made me a bit on edge because he had died at home.

01:27So I was so panicked thinking,

01:28oh my goodness, what's happening?

01:30Is something wrong?

01:31Have I done something wrong?

01:32Even though I knew I hadn't,

01:34just the involvement, regardless of how kind and professional and lovely they were,

01:39just made me so nervous.

01:40And then me and Albie went to the hospital after he had passed away

01:45to get further statements and blood tests on myself and things.

01:50Like there was a lot of procedure

01:52and I just felt like in those first few days,

01:55kind of feel like we were just a little bit left and we were so, so lost.

02:00And I had so many questions and so many worries.

02:04I think there's a lot of charities that do amazing support

02:07after you lose a baby or a child.

02:09But I feel like in those first few days

02:13is when you've got so many questions about practical stuff,

02:16like when does my child come back from his postmortem?

02:19And how on earth do I organise a funeral?

02:21Or, you know, like stuff like that, that you've never thought of before.

02:25And to have someone to ask those questions to,

02:28and to make those phone calls for you so that you're not having to phone round,

02:32asking those difficult things would be incredible.

02:36Also the emotional side of things,

02:39because our point of contact after Albie died was a detective.

02:44And they were so lovely and so, so kind.

02:47But, you know, I couldn't phone a detective and say,

02:49oh, I'm struggling to sleep.

02:50So that's why I feel it's so important and so essential

02:54that for those first few days, or first few weeks even,

02:58after a baby dies or a child dies,

03:00everyone should get that practical and emotional support.

03:04And they shouldn't have to go looking for it.

03:06They shouldn't have to find the support themselves.

03:08It should be provided as a basic service.

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