Reducing stillbirth and improving care for affected families through high quality research, clinical practice improvement and raising public awareness.
 

News Flash

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SIDS and Kids Queensland free relaxation and meditation workshop

Thursday, 3 May, 2012

SIDS and Kids invites you and your bereaved families to our free relaxation and meditation workshop on this Saturday 5th of May at SIDS and Kids, 68 Creek Rd, Mt Gravatt. There will be an intro into meditation, yoga, aromatherapy and why creating peace and calm is important for bereaved families. Free aromatherapy candle too and morning tea provided!! RSVP to (07) 3849 7122 or estherelliott@sidsqld.com.au by Friday.

 

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Brochure for parents: Pregnancy - your baby's movements and what they mean

Friday, 20 April, 2012

ANZSA has put together this guidance for parents on monitoring their baby's movements during pregnancy, and what to do if there is decreased activity.

Please note - the brochure is best printed on A4, double-sided and landscape format.

For printed copies - these will be provided on a cost-recovery basis. Please contact ANZSA using the enquiry form, stating how many copies are required, for a quote.

 

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IMPROVE program - workshops across Australia in 2012 

Friday, 20 April, 2012

IMPROVE (IMproving Perinatal Review and Outcome Via Education) workshops will be held at various locations across Australia this year, including Hobart, Adelaide, Darwin and Mackay. Further information will be posted here soon. To read more about IMPROVE please follow this link.

 

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Australian and New Zealand Stillbirth Alliance Newsletter December 2011

Friday, 30 December, 2011

ANZSA Newsletter December 2011

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ABC The Health Report - Stillbirth Autopsy

Wednesday, 21 September, 2011

Adrian Charlies (ANZSA Chair) had the pleasure of being interviewed for the ABC Health Report.

Please click HERE to view the transcript as well as listen to the podcast of the interview aired September 19, 2011.

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 100 Babies Died Needlessly - Report

Thursday, 28 July, 2011

Hayden Donnell summarises the release of The Perinatal and Maternal Mortality Review Committee's (PMMRC) fifth annual report assessing the deaths of babies and their mothers in New Zealand. The report was released July 28, 2011 and brings to light the number of preventable deaths, as well as, further recommendations for actions to move forward the advancement of stillbirth avoidance. For the article and more information, please check here.

 

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Stillbirth Science, Life Matters, ABC Radio National

Thursday, 16 June, 2011.

Associate Professor Vicki Flenady was interviewed this morning on ABC National Radio with regards to maternal sleeping positions and other risk factors relating to stillbirth. For more information please click here.

Stacey T, Thompson JMD, Mitchell EA, Ekeroma A, Zuccollo JM. Association between maternal sleep practices and risk of late stillbirth: a case-control study. BMJ 2011;342:d3403

 

Chappell L, Smith GCS. Should pregnant women sleep on their left? BMJ 2011;342:d3659

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New Paper on Sleeping Positions and Stillbirth

 

Prevention strategies to reduce the risk of stillbirth in late pregnancy remain limited.  Many of these deaths are unexplained, despite a thorough examination, leaving parents and care providers struggling with the reasons why.  The static stillbirth rate for over 20 years, when all other mortality statistics have shown an improvement, suggests we need new leads.

 

This interesting study by Stacey, Thompson, Mitchell, Ekeroma, Zuccollo and McCowan (2011) shows the requirement for large studies to identify new potential factors. This study is important because it generates new ideas for closer investigation in future studies. These future studies need to carefully take into account confounding factors which may account for the death that which are linked to maternal sleep position - where sleep position may not be the true reason for the death. Studies need to also address whether there is a biologically plausible mechanism that will allow us to understand how sleep position could result in stillbirth.  

 

The authors of the paper and the editorialist (Chapell L, Smith GCS, 2011) all agree that this is a preliminary result that needs to be confirmed.  Based on the information that is available, expectant mothers should not change their behaviour.  This is part of the continuing research effort to reduce the risk of stillbirth.  Often research goes down blind alleys.  We won't know if this is a blind alley until further work is done.

 

There are a number of known important risk factors for stillbirth for which we must offer advice and support including overweight, obesity, smoking and maternal age over 35 which contributes to around one-third of stillbirths. Smoking cessation programs in pregnancy are effective however many women are not provided with the support they need to stop smoking - this must be addressed as a priority. While we work to create awareness of these known risk factors, it is hoped that the planned study by ANZSA will help to resolve some of the unanswered questions on maternal sleep position and stillbirth.   

 

Stacey T, Thompson JMD, Mitchell EA, Ekeroma A, Zuccollo JM. Association between maternal sleep practices and risk of late stillbirth: a case-control study. BMJ 2011;342:d3403

 

Chappell L, Smith GCS. Should pregnant women sleep on their left? BMJ 2011;342:d3659

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The Lancet's Stillbirth Series Report 2400 Stillbirths Each Year in ANZ

The Lancet Medical Journal published the Lancet's Stillbirth Series yesterday Thursday 14th April 2011 with the aim of highlighting this important global health issue.   Simultaneous launches were held in London, New York, and Hobart in partnership with the Lancet, the International Stillbirth Alliance and its member organisations, World Health Organisation, Save the Children, UNCIEF and UNFPA.  Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, this series aims to prioritize stillbirth in the context of maternal, child and newborn survival with the overall goal of bringing together epidemiology, evidence for interventions, costing estimates and policy analysis to guide decision making and promote action with measurable change by 2020.   To access the six papers, two articles and eight comments please visit here.

 

There are over 2.6 million stillbirths worldwide every year, with 98% of the burden in high and middle income countries.  In ANZ there are 2400 families who lose their precious baby to this global health problem.  Four ANZ experts spoke to the media yesterday providing information on numbers, causes, interventions, disparities and the enormous impact this has on families.  To listen to this media briefing, and read our ANZ Fact Sheet please visit the Australian and New Zealand Science Media Centre.

 

For further information about the Lancet's Stillbirth Series please visit here.

ANZSA and PSANZ Perinatal Mortality Group hold pre-PSANZ Workshop

DATE CHANGE

When:  Thursday 14th April 2011

Where: Hotel Grand Chancellor, 1 Davey St, Hobart

Cost:    $60

ANZSA and PSANZ Perinatal Mortaltiy Group (PMG) invite you to join us in Tasmania at a post-PSANZ Workshop to discuss the implications of the Lancet Stillbirth Series for the Australian and New Zealand region.  With the focus of the workshop the launch of the Lancet Stillbirth Series, this will be the first time the data in this series will be presented.  To view our program please visit here.

The International Stillbirth Alliance, through the Mater Medical Research Institute Brisbane, has recieved a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for the production of a series on stillbirth for publication in the Lancet in March 2011.  These papers aim to place stillbirth as a priority within the context of maternal, newborn, and child survival.  The overall goal is to bring together epidemiology, evidence for interventions, costing estimates and policy anaysis to guide decision making and promote action with measurable change by 2020.  These papers will call for action and will list a number of specific goals the international stillbirth community must aim to achieve by 2020 in order to create such measurable change.

This workshop will provide an opportunity for us to explore how we can collectively reach these goals in our region.  We seek the input of all clinicians, support workers, researchers, parents, policy makers and others interested in this issue. 

Areas also discussed at this workshop include systems for perinatal mortality audit of sub optimal care and caring for the carer. 

If you are interested in presenting at this workshop please send you abstracts to vicki.flenady@mater.org.au by Friday 11th February 2011. 

For further details please view our workshop flyer.  Please feel free to post this on your birthing suite noticeboards. 

If you wish to attend please complete the workshop registration form and return to kreynolds@mmri.mater.org.au.  

For further details on the Lancet Stillbirth Series please contact the ANZSA Secretariat. 

ANZSA and PSANZ PMG AGMs Announced

The ANZSA and PSANZ PMG Annual General Meeting will each be held on Friday 8th April 2011 after the joint workshop (please see above). 

For details on times please see the workshop registration form above.

All members are invited and we hope to see you there!   

No Decrease in Australian Stillbirth Rate

Friday 26 November 2010

Australian and New Zealand Stillbirth Alliance (ANZSA) researchers, care providers and parents have called for action after an Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) Report released this week stated that stillbirth rates have not decreased in the last year. 

 

The AIHW Australia's mothers and babies 2008 report stated that for every 1,000 births in 2008, 7.4 resulted in stillbirth - a total of 2,188 families who did not get to take their baby home with them.  This is in fact an increase from the 2,177 stillbirths reported in 2007.

 

The report also stated that the stillbirth rate of babies born to Indigenous women is in excess of the rate of stillbirth for non-Indigenous women – 11.2 per 1,000 births for Indigenous women as opposed to 7.0 per 1,000 births for non-Indigenous women.

 

Unexplained stillbirth continues to make up over one-third of stillbirths at term gestation, meaning many families return home without an explanation for why their baby died.

 

To access this report please visit the AIHW website.

To access this media release please visit the ANZSA Media Centre.

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Australia Hosts International Conference on Stillbirth and Infant Death

 

With nearly 300 delegates from over 26 countries in attendence, the ANZSA and SIDS and Kids hosted international conference, 'Precious Lives: Global Collaboration in Stillbirth and Infant Death' saw the worlds leading researchers and experts in stillbirth and infant death congregate in Sydney over three days in October this year.

 

The joint conference of the International Stillbirth Alliance (ISA) and the International Society for the Study and Prevention of Perinatal and Infant Death (ISPID) meant perinatal mortality researchers, clinicians, bereavement support specialists and parents from all over the world were able to share their research, ideas, thoughts and experiences with one another.

 

Norweigen researcher, Dr Frederik Froen called for stillbirth to be made a global health priority, and Dr Joy Lawn, Director of Global Evidence and Policy with the Gates funded Saving Newborn Lives programme, Save the Children contextualised the breadth of the issue exploring ‘where, when, and why’ families continue to experience stillbirth.

 

Some of the world’s most eminent experts attended including Professor Robert Goldenberg, Director of Research and Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Drexel College of Medicine, Professor Gordon Smith, Head of Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Cambridge University, and Professor Ed Mitchell, Professor of Child Health Research, University of Auckland.

 

ISA Chair Vicki Flenady said, ‘with so many international and local delegates attending the conference we were abkle to share knowledge and initiatives as well as build further collaborations to meet common goals.  With AusAIDs support we were very pleased that a a number of health professionals from low-middle income countries were able to attend  including delegates from Sudan, Ghana, South Africa, Nepal and Vietnam.’

 

For further information about the conference please contact the ANZSA Secretariat. 

2010/2011 ANZSA Board Elected

The 2010/2011 ANZSA Board was elected at the ANZSA AGM in Sydney in October.  We wish new Chair, Western Australian Perinatal Pathologist Dr Adrian Charles all the best in his new role.  Dr Christine Tippett has become Deputy Chair and A/Prof Vicki Flenady continues as Secretary.  We would like to acknowledge all the work of Prof David Ellwood as previous Chair and thank him for his committment to ANZSA.  

For further information about the 2010/2011 Board please visit here.