October 9th to 15th is Baby Loss Awareness Week
Baby Loss Awareness Week runs from 9th October until 15th. It is aimed at bringing together as a community anyone touched by pregnancy and baby loss and providing a supportive space to share experiences so they feel that they are not alone.
It is estimated that 1 in 4 pregnancies end in loss during pregnancy or birth in the UK. Based on 2021 records, there were over 2,800 stillbirths across England and Wales. Baby loss can happen during pregnancy, birth or even after birth, for many different reasons and this causes heartbreak to families all across the country.
Types of baby loss
Miscarriage – Miscarriage is a term used for the loss of a baby before 24 weeks in pregnancy and are most common during the first 3 months. There are many reasons for suffering with a miscarriage including:
- Development issues with baby
- Hormonal or blood clotting problems
- Infection
- Placenta issues
- Cervix weakening too early
Still birth – Still births can occur any time after 24 weeks of pregnancy and many stillbirths are linked to complications with the placenta, a birth defect, or can be related to the mother’s health.
Neonatal death – This is when a baby dies within 28 days of birth and again there can be many reasons for this including:
- Premature birth
- Complication during or after the birth
- Infections
- Issues with babies lungs or heart
Support
There are hundreds of charities offering support, including The Miscarriage Association, Sands and Lullaby’s Trust.
Baby loss and medical negligence claims
Although most baby loss is blameless and could not be avoided, our medical negligence specialists have dealt with many cases where medical negligence has occurred, leading directly to baby loss. This includes substandard care provided by midwives, consultants, doctors and nurses.
Negligence occurring in these cases include;
- Missing symptoms
- Misinterpreting test results
- Failure to treat symptoms quick enough
- Incorrect treatment
- Failure to diagnose
Medical negligence lawyers Oliver Thorne and Caroline Webber-Brown are currently working on a case where our client’s son died just 15 hours after being born. An investigation was launched after the death and this shown that there were several opportunities for the midwives to intervene.
Oliver has also been very active in questioning the shocking number of baby deaths at the North Devon District Hospital (see https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/under-fire-maternity-unit-high-712682).
How we can help
If you feel there has been negligence in relation to your medical care then please contact our friendly helpline team for a free review. These cases are dealt with on a no win, no fee basis, so there are no upfront fees to be paid.