Sands is launching a new report at the House of Commons today (18 January) in which it says more research, improved care and greater awareness are needed.
The report is called
Preventing babies’ deaths: what needs to be done and calls for improved use of scans, placenta tests and educating mothers-to-be about staying healthy.
Neal Long, the charity’s chief executive, said: ‘A third of stillborn babies – around 1200 babies - are born late in pregnancy, at gestations when they might safely be delivered.
‘But routine antenatal care is failing to detect far too many babies who need help. These babies’ deaths are those that Sands, researchers and clinicians working in obstetrics, believe are avoidable deaths.
‘We want to see real national commitment to tackling this ignored tragedy and preventing all avoidable baby deaths in the future. We want lives saved and families spared the desperate heartbreak of losing their precious baby.’
Gail Johnson, RCM education and professional development advisor, agreed that it is important work continues to explore how stillbirth can be reduced.
‘Ensuring that all mothers have access to high quality antenatal care delivered by midwives is the first step towards having a healthy mother and baby at the end of pregnancy,’ she said.
‘Midwives are in a position to provide women and families with information and support to minimise risks and poor outcomes.
‘However, to ensure that antenatal care and parenting education is appropriately delivered we need to have enough midwives to deliver the care.
‘Our own survey late last year showed that access to antenatal classes is often poor, particularly for women on low incomes.
‘Current antenatal screening cannot identify all babies at risk, and research into how best midwives and doctors can deliver antenatal care to reduce stillbirth is welcomed.
‘Sharing information, skills and expertise in an open forum will further raise awareness of stillbirth, and an open and honest standardised review of stillbirths and neonatal deaths will help add to the body of knowledge to inform future research and practice.’
After the report is launched it will be available to the
Sands website.
