Preventable Baby Loss

He thanked the hon. Member for Ashfield for securing the debate and shared his personal experience as a father who lost a child. He highlighted stark statistics, including that up to one in five stillbirths and neonatal deaths are preventable but progress has stalled since 2015. MacNae emphasised racial disparities, with black babies more than twice as likely to be stillborn compared to white babies. He urged the new Government to support actions from baby loss charities to deliver positive care for all ethnic groups. Additionally, he pointed out that nearly a third of neonatal intensive care unit shifts are not properly staffed and over half of maternity services were rated inadequately in 2022-23.

She thanked her hon. Friend for his powerful speech and mentioned a little boy named Teddy from her constituency who died from sudden infant death syndrome at seven weeks old. She emphasized the need for better wraparound services in hospitals, including rooms made available for families dealing with such tragedies, along with support, counselling, and help throughout their grief journey. Carla Lockhart commended Jim Shannon's real-life story and suggested replicating efforts from England on baby loss certificates in the devolved regions, particularly Northern Ireland.

Caroline Johnson highlighted the unpredictability of birth and the importance of ensuring a healthy outcome for both mother and child. She acknowledged the efforts of NHS colleagues and charities in preventing baby loss, mentioning the Government's consultation on fortifying flour with folic acid to reduce the number of babies suffering from a folic acid shortage during pregnancy. Johnson also questioned the continuation of essential public health communication strategies amid the Chancellor's restrictions on communication costs.

He highlighted the need for greater resources and a better understanding of the individualistic nature of dealing with baby loss, noting that no two families will react in the same way.

Ms. Morgan briefly intervened to express her support for constituents suffering from baby loss, emphasizing the importance of telling their stories in Parliament to ensure they are heard. Morgan highlighted the scandal at Shrewsbury and Telford hospital NHS trust, noting similar issues in other trusts like Morecambe Bay and East Kent. She stressed the importance of safe staffing levels on maternity wards to prevent unnecessary baby deaths, learning from mistakes, transparency with families, and addressing disparities for ethnic minority women.

Jim Shannon highlighted the impact of preventable baby loss, citing personal and constituency examples. He emphasized the importance of support for families experiencing such losses and underscored the need for greater resources to reduce pregnancy loss rates in Northern Ireland.

Ms. Collinge spoke about the importance of local support groups like Matilda's Mission and the Tigerlily Trust, which provide various forms of support for bereaved parents and families. She raised concerns over funding issues affecting these organizations and highlighted the need for timely NHS referrals and consistent care.

Mr. Farage discussed the difficulty in talking about stillbirth and its impact on families, particularly women who have experienced it. He mentioned his own family's experience with stillbirth and highlighted the importance of support for those affected.

Olivia Blake highlighted the personal and societal impact of preventable baby loss, noting that one in two people will be affected by it during their lifetime. She emphasised the need for better mental health support and bereavement leave, as well as improved early intervention care and research funding. Blake also mentioned that 13 babies die every day before, during or shortly after birth, with up to a fifth of those deaths potentially preventable if guidelines were consistently followed. Additionally, she criticised the three-miscarriage rule for basic tests and urged the Government to adopt alternative models of care such as the graded model which offers support after one miscarriage.

She shared her personal experience of baby loss, highlighting the trauma of giving birth to a stillborn child and the lack of official recognition for her daughter's existence due to administrative policies. She praised the work of the all-party parliamentary group on baby loss and the pregnancy loss review that led to certificates being issued for parents who lose babies before 24 weeks in England. However, she noted that more needs to be done to address regional inequality, ethnic disparities in neonatal mortality rates, and maternal healthcare disparities. She called for better training and support for healthcare professionals and an increase in the midwifery workforce.