Meeting of the Parliament 09 June 2026 [Draft]
I thank Patricia Gibson for securing time through the first members’ business debate of this session to raise awareness of pre-eclampsia. I think that I speak for all of us when I say that her speech was powerful, moving and commanding.
We know that the disorder affects up to one in 25 pregnancies in the UK. I was delivered into this world via an emergency caesarean section, as my mum suffered from severe eclampsia. With her permission, I want to share her story this evening, to underline the seriousness of the disorder for mothers during pregnancy and in the years beyond.
My mother went from under 9 stone to 17 stone over the course of her pregnancy. As she was a 24-year-old woman, general practitioners dismissed her weight gain until she was unable to move her fingers. Her skin broke because of huge fluid retention.
For the last eight weeks of her pregnancy with me, my mother was hospitalised with eclampsia. After two failed inductions, she began to fit and seizure during the third. Doctors explained to my dad that the lives of his wife and his unborn child were at risk. Once I was delivered and the placenta was removed, the symptoms waned, and we are both here today. However, the impact on her physical and mental health has been felt for years.
In 1995, when I was born, post-traumatic stress disorder therapy and postpartum psychology were in their infancy. Six months after I was born, my mum became pregnant again, and she was medically advised to terminate the pregnancy. Another two miscarriages followed, with two major surgeries to resolve adhesions and internal hernias caused by eclampsia. There was no continuous support throughout all of that. The strain on her body and mind was and continues to be significant, and her story, while distressing, is not uncommon or unique.
I accept that, today, early diagnosis of symptoms has improved, and so, too, has post-pregnancy mental health support. However, Patricia Gibson’s motion makes it clear that women still do not receive the long-term monitoring that they deserve, and, in many cases, are not aware of the symptoms of pre-eclampsia.
The post-pregnancy support does not yet go far enough, but the Scottish Government is aware of that. I know that it is working to change that reality for women, and I look forward to hearing the contribution from Maree Todd about how the Scottish Government will look to improve the support through phase 2 of the women’s health plan.
In closing, I again thank Patricia Gibson for bringing this important discussion to the chamber.