‘I am doing OK. I have my moments… I have lost my daughter’

Three months on from the death of his baby daughter, Dougie Imrie can still hear the sounds of the machines in the neonatal unit as a desperate battle was waged to save her life.

Remi was born three and a half months prematurely.

The 20 days that Dougie and his partner Lauren spent with their daughter were the most difficult and precious of their lives.

“We had some good days,” the Morton manager says. “We thought at times she was turning a corner, and so did the staff. But, in the end, her little lungs just couldn’t get enough energy to keep her going.

“Myself and Lauren were there when she took her last breath.

“It was really tough. But I find it easier to talk about it rather than saying nothing and letting it build up, and maybe exploding down the line.

“I think I find comfort in speaking about the situation. Maybe another family that have gone through the same hurt and loss of their beloved baby can maybe relate and find a way to help with the situation they are going through.”

An issue with the placenta resulted in Remi being born 14 weeks early. She weighed one pound four ounces.

“Week 20, week 21 we just went for a routine check-up as every family does,” Imrie recalls. “They were very quiet. They were taking her measurements then said they would be back in a minute.

“You get that sense when three or four other doctors, nurses and midwives come through the door to look at the screen.

Scottish football rallied in support of Imrie and his family as the news of Remi’s plight emerged.

He would see it first hand as he took his team to face Partick Thistle in a Scottish Championship game.

“The moment when I came out of the tunnel at Firhill and saw the note from the [Morton] fans was something that will live with me forever.”

And, as a former Hamilton Academical player, Imrie was stunned by the show of support from derby rivals Motherwell.

“The Motherwell fans at Hearts the week after was amazing,” he adds. “The battles myself and Motherwell have had, that goes to the side and you see the true fans.

“That’s part and parcel of football, rivalries come together and it’s tit-for-tat but that blew me away. It blew my family away, it blew Lauren away.

“I will always be thankful to the fans for doing that. They didn’t have to do that, but it showed a touch of class from them.”

Remi lost her fight for life in August.

After the care the family had received, Imrie and Lauren decided they needed to do something positive in memory of their daughter.

Last month they presented the University Hospital Wishaw with a cheque for £18,000 raised in Remi’s memory.

“The staff were incredible,” he says. “These people were so, so calm and incredible at their job. We can give something back to them that they can help another family the way they helped us.

“I think I am doing OK. I have my moments, I’m not going to lie. It’s pretty raw. I have lost my daughter. I will never be able to spend time with her again.

“Lauren is there [at the grave] every day. The hurt and pain will never go away.”