Kirsty Williams AM

Kirsty asks WHY DO 17 BABIES DIE EVERY SINGLE DAY IN THE UK?

Kirsty Williams, AM for Brecon and Radnorshire, has sponsored a Welsh Assembly reception to launch the Why 17? campaign in Wales, which asks the question, 'Why do 17 babies die every single day in the UK?'

Sands, the stillbirth and neonatal death charity, held the reception at the Senedd, National Assembly for Wales on 17th June 2009, to raise awareness of the 17 babies who are stillborn or die shortly after birth every day in the UK. The figures for Wales are no less shocking; every other day a baby is stillborn in Wales and a further 2 babies die shortly after birth every week, this is nearly 300 babies dying every year in Wales.

The event launched the Sands report, Saving Babies' Lives Report, 2009 which, backed up by new research, highlights several problem areas that are contributing to this level of baby loss, the long-lasting impact of these deaths, and recommends changes that could save babies' lives. Kirsty accepted the Sands petition on behalf of the Assembly, which was signed by over 700 people from across Wales showing their support for the Why17? Campaign. The petition calls on the Welsh Assembly to take action to reduce the numbers of babies dying every year in Wales, and will be considered by the Assembly Petitions Committee on 7th July.

Kirsty is pictured at the event with local constituents Carolyn Jenkins, Shirley Gittoes, Kirsty, Liz Hulin-Taylor and Debbie Hulin. She pledged her support for the Sands campaign, saying: "With one baby in every 200 being stillborn, the levels of stillbirths in the UK are shockingly high. This number is ten times the number of cot deaths, yet whilst numbers of cot deaths have drastically reduced in recent years, over the past 12 years there has been no significant improvement in stillbirth rates in Wales.

"As a country we must stop accepting stillbirths as the norm, instead we must tackle this tragic trend. The aim of this campaign is to make sure that stillbirths and neonatal deaths are recognised as a major health issue in Wales."

"The stillbirth or neonatal death of a baby is no less a death than the death of any other child and we must not treat it as so. With better care and targeted research many of these deaths could potentially be avoided. We are calling upon the Welsh Government to take action now to save these babies' lives."

The facts today:

177 babies are stillborn every year in Wales

115 babies die shortly after birth every year in Wales

Ten times more babies are stillborn than die of cot death every year in Wales

The stillbirth rate in Wales has not changed in the last 12 years

17 babies die every day in the UK (10 are stillbirths, 7 are neonatal deaths) totalling almost 6,500 baby deaths a year - the equivalent of 16 jumbo jets crashing every year with no survivors.

The reception was the culmination of a 7 day marathon journey across Wales through Wrexham, Glan Clwyd and Powys. Hundreds of Mums and Dads, their families and friends travelled across Wales using anything that moved, except their own cars, raising awareness of Sands Why17? campaign and raising funds to go towards research that could significantly reduce the numbers of babies dying.

The devastation my family and I felt when our daughter Heulwen was stillborn was indescribable", says Shirley Gittoes, of Llandrindod Wells and Sands Welsh Network Convenor: "No parent whose baby has died wants any other parent to suffer in this way, which is why I am supporting Sands Why17? campaign in Wales. I want to raise awareness of the 300 babies dying every year in Wales and I'm urging Welsh politicians to sit up, and take note of all the hundreds of Welsh parents devastated by their babies' deaths. We need a co-ordinated, national strategy to tackle stillbirths and neonatal deaths and we need it now."

To find out more about Sands Why17? campaign and the Saving Babies' Lives Report 2009 please go to www.uk-sands.org

Notes to editors:

Sands has a number of parents throughout Wales who are willing to share with the media their own personal experiences of the loss of their baby.

Sands also has contact with health professionals and experts who can explain their ground-breaking work in stillbirth prevention.

If you would like further information on this, a pdf copy of the Saving Babies' Lives Report,2009 or any other aspect of Why 17? please contact:

Katie Duff, Sands Communications Manager

Tel: 0845 6520 442 / 07748 645 223

Email: katie.duff@uk-sands.org

Lyn Peters, Sands press office

Tel: 01394 385865 / 07909 544496

email: lyn.peters@btinternet.com

Erica Stewart

Sands Head Office

Tel: 020 7436 7940

Email: erica.stewart@uk-sands.org

Key Information about Sands:

Sands, the stillbirth and neonatal death charity, was established by bereaved parents in 1978 and obtained charity status in 1981.

Sands core aims are to:

Support anyone affected by the death of a baby;

To work in partnership with health professionals to improve the quality of care and services offered to bereaved families; and

To promote research and changes in practice that could help to reduce the loss of babies' lives

Helpline: 020 7436 5881

Office: 020 7436 7940

Web: www.uk-sands.org

E mail: support@uk-sands.org

Sands Why 17? campaign:

Sands Why17? campaign asks a simple question. Why in spite of medical advances, do 17 babies die every day in the UK? For some of these deaths we simply do not yet know enough to be able to say why. Further research is needed.

The Facts today:

17 babies die every day in the UK (10 are stillbirths, 7 are neonatal deaths) totalling almost 6,500 baby deaths a year - the equivalent of 16 jumbo jets crashing every year with no survivors.

This is four times the number of people who die every year of MRSA (1,593 MRSA deaths in 2007, UK Statistics Authority).

This is double the number of adults who lose their lives on Britain's roads every year (2007 - 2,940 people were killed on the roads, Department of Transport).

Ten times more babies are stillborn than die of cot death every year in the UK.

The stillbirth rate has remained almost unchanged in the UK for the past 10 years. (CEMACH)

Stillbirth is when a baby is born dead after 24 completed weeks of a pregnancy

Neonatal death is when a baby is born alive but dies within the first 28 days of life

But increasingly, Sands believes that many of these deaths are potentially avoidable. The devastating impact of the death of a baby on the parents and their families and friends could be prevented.

What is needed is better antenatal care, increased funding for maternity services, more midwives and increased funding for research.

Sands Why17? campaign is seeking to raise £3million over the next 5 years to;

Focus public awareness on why, tragically, 17 babies a day in the UK are stillborn or die within the first twenty eight days of life;

Promote changes in antenatal practice that could prevent babies from dying;

Identify and support key research with could provide further information on why so many babies are dying