EVERY parent's worst nightmare came true for Andrew and Alex Watson one night in December, 1993, when they lost their first child, Callum. He was a robust 15-month-old and they had followed all the medical advice.
''Every day of my life I go back over that day to try to think what could possibly account for what happened. But it is an absolute mystery,'' said Mrs Watson, 39.
She was six months pregnant with their second child, and they had returned to Scotland two months earlier from Victoria, Australia, where Callum had been born.
''There was a lot of awareness of cot death at that time in Australia. There were four major ways of reducing the risk: getting the baby to lie on its back, ensuring it does not overheat, breast-feeding, and not smoking.
''We followed them all, but that wasn't enough. Callum was a big healthy child, not a sickly baby.
''It was a Thursday. He was a bit hot and subdued. We took him to the GP, who diagnosed an ear infection and prescribed antibiotics, which we started to give to him.
''My husband checked him at half an hour, and an hour. But next time he looked in, Callum wasn't breathing.
''There was no pulse or heart beat. We tried to resuscitate him and give him the kiss of life, but we could not bring him round.''
The nightmare was followed by the torment of trying to explain the inexplicable.
Journalist Mrs Watson, 39, and her banker husband have since had three children, Isobel, Patrick, and Harriet.
''The problem with cot death is that there are multiple causes. There might be many subtle changes coming together in a fatal combination,'' she said.
In retrospect, she thinks her son may have contracted a virus and his immune system which developed when they lived in Australia was unable to cope with an overwhelming infection in Scotland.
Mr and Mrs Watson, of Reston, Berwickshire, are taking part in the trial at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary to investigate possible links with adult sleep apnoea.
Mrs Hazel Brooke, executive director of the Scottish Cot Death Trust, said in a study of 18 countries, Scotland had the second highest rate of compliance for babies sleeping on their back.
She added: ''We are aware that many parents are observing all the advice in reducing the risk for babies. This, for us, is the frustrating thing. We are giving the advice to parents. Many of them are following it to the letter.''
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