A newborn baby became Abertay University’s youngest-ever graduation guest after he attended his mother’s ceremony at less than a day old.
Clare Hart, 40, had worried she would miss her big day on 10 July after her due date of 3 July passed without incident.
However, she felt well enough to attend the event after her son, Sol MacIntosh Hart-Gordon, was born at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee at 5.15pm the evening prior, weighing 6lb 11oz.
Dressed in a tiny suit complete with a waistcoat and bow tie, Sol joined his father Darren Gordon and other family members at the city’s Caird Hall.
Ms Hart expressed her delight at being able to graduate with a First-Class Honours Degree in BSc (Hons) Food, Nutrition and Health.
She said: “The plan was always going to be playing it by ear, and Sol’s due date came and went, and I worried that I wasn’t going to make it to graduation.
“I really wanted to be with my classmates and lecturers, and to bring closure to one story before starting my new journey.”
“When he came on Thursday evening, I didn’t know if I could manage. When I was given the all-clear from the midwives, I went home and had a few hours’ sleep in my own bed, and Sol had a very settled night.
“I woke up feeling refreshed and it just felt right – I don’t know if it was just adrenaline or not, but I tried not to put any pressure on myself or on Sol and I think that played a huge part.
“Sol was so settled during the ceremony too, which was a huge relief. I’m so glad I managed to go along and spend a couple of hours there. It just felt so surreal.”
Ms Hart, who is from Dundee, said her pregnancy coincided with one of the busiest periods of her degree, especially during the last months of assessments and dissertation work, and thanked her family, fellow students and university staff for their support.
She said: “You’re trying to juggle all of these plates and wear all the different hats, and you can’t do it on your own.
“My classmates and lecturers have been so supportive from the very beginning. I feel so lucky and I couldn’t have asked for a better support system.
“I messaged the class group chat on the morning of graduation telling them that I’d had the baby and that I’d be joining them to graduate. They couldn’t believe it. Everyone’s faces lit up when I walked into the Caird Hall to find my seat.”
She added: “I feel so grateful for the support I’ve received from everyone around me.
“Getting a degree and having a baby are the two hardest things I’ve done in my life, and I somehow managed to do them together. I’m still processing it all.
“I truly never thought this would happen for me, and it has changed who I am as a person.”
Ms Hart is already a qualified Ayurvedic practitioner and hopes to establish a holistic health and nutrition coaching business in the future, drawing on her nutrition degree combined with her existing expertise.
Her partner Darren Gordon, also from Dundee, praised her determination.
He said: “Clare’s incredible. This was a completely natural birth, and both baby and mum are happy and healthy.
“It’s just incredible that she was able to make it here – nothing was stopping her and I think it was just meant to be.”
