Mum and unborn child airlifted off Scottish island after 'serious' pregnancy complication
The 34-year-old mother was flown to Inverness to deliver her baby prematurely.
A Scottish mother has praised charity ambulance crews after she was airlifted off a Hebridean island at 34 weeks pregnant during a life-threatening health emergency.
Eilidh, a high school teacher from North Uist, was expecting her third child when a routine midwife appointment at her local hospital revealed her blood pressure was “sky high”.
Following further tests at Western Isles Hospital in Stornoway, doctors confirmed the 34-year-old had preeclampsia - a serious pregnancy complication that causes persistent high blood pressure.
“I had been feeling really unwell for days, mainly suffering from bad headaches and vomiting…I was just feeling horrible,” said Eilidh.
“The risk with preeclampsia is that you can get seizures, and it can cause a stroke.
“It also affects organ function so you can go into organ failure – the doctors were monitoring my liver and kidney function because of this.
“Effectively, if it’s not treated it can kill you.”
Blood pressure tablets failed to bring her blood pressure back to a healthy level, and the decision was made that she needed mainland hospital care to deliver her baby prematurely.
“If I had needed to go quickly into labour while at hospital in Stornoway, they would have had to airlift my baby straight after the birth and most likely seperate us,” she said.
Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA) was deployed to transfer her from Stornoway to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness.
She arrived in just 40 minutes.
“The fact that the air ambulance helicopter was involved did give a sense that this was an urgent situation that we were in,” said Eilidh.
“I think I was in quite a bit of shock throughout the experience, and I kept thinking about my two boys that I was leaving behind.
“But I remember the air ambulance paramedics made me feel at ease. Everything was all very calm and controlled.
“They never made me feel like it was a total emergency, and they kept me relaxed throughout the process.
“My blood pressure continued to be monitored throughout the flight, which felt very quick.”
Soon after arriving, Eilidh delivered baby Seòras, and the family made it home in time for Christmas.
“I’d like to thank the crew for being so calm and warm – and for Seòras’ teddy which still sits in his cot with him,” said Eilidh.
“Growing up on Uist, you hear the air ambulance all the time on the islands…it has always been absolutely vital here.
“We’re so lucky to have this resource.”
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