Too many stillbirths, say SANDS

A new charity report launched today by SANDS at the House of Commons calls for urgent action to prevent stillbirths. The stillbirth and neonatal death charity believes that as many as 1,200 stillbirths in the UK each year could be prevented.

Too many stillbirths, say SANDS

by Louise-Anne Geddes, Mindful Mum, 18th January 2012

Around 6,500 babies are stillborn, or die shortly after birth in the UK every year.  In their report ‘Preventing Babies’ Deaths: What needs to be done’, SANDS proposes that as many as 1,200 babies’ lives could be saved annually by a combination of better care, more research and greater awareness of the risks.

Figures in the UK today

According to SANDS, 17 babies die every day in the UK.  11 are stillborn and another six die shortly after birth.   One in 200 babies are stillborn, meaning that they die in the womb after 24 weeks gestation, and a third of these deaths happen at full term.  The new report outlines that if these babies can be identified, then early delivery could save many of their lives.

The report will be available from January 19th 2012 on the SANDS website, and will outline the key issues which need to be addressed which include:

  • Lack of research to understand the causes – over 90% of stillborn babies have no congenital abnormality and around a third of stillbirths are unexplained.
  • Routine antenatal care is failing to detect babies at risk of stillbirth
  • Poor awareness of the risks
  • No national data is collected on baby deaths to improve care and save lives in the future
  • Need for a rigorous review of every death

Progress to be made

Neal Long, SANDS Chief Executive said:

“The scale of baby deaths in the UK is shocking. 17 babies are stillborn or die shortly after birth every day, with stillbirth being the largest contributor to child deaths under the age of five years. Our new report, Preventing Babies’ Deaths: what needs to be done, describes the devastating impact these deaths have on parents and their families, and highlights the areas where we believe progress can be made to save  hundreds of babies’ lives”.

“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”.

Sources: SANDS, press release, 18th January 2012
Photography: amrufm@Flickr

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