About Us Facts and figures Facts and Figures Figures 716,704 births were registered in 2020 (613,935 England & Wales; 46,809 Scotland; 55,959 Northern Ireland) 2,638 stillbirths in 2020 (2,371 England & Wales; 198 Scotland; 69 Northern Ireland) 3.8 - Stillbirth rate (number of stillbirths per 1000 babies born) 7 - Number of babies stillborn every day in the UK 10% - Amount of stillbirths thought to be caused by a fatal congenital abnormality 1,719 neonatal deaths in England and Wales in 2020 2.8 - neonatal death rate (For every 1,000 babies born 2.8 died within 28 days) 50% of mothers who had a stillbirth noticed slowing down of baby movements beforehand Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Facts Many countries, including Croatia, Poland and Czech Republic, all have better stillbirth rates than the UK. Stillbirth is 10 times more common than cot death. Reduced Fetal Movement and Stillbirth 50% of mothers who had a stillbirth noticed slowing down of baby movements beforehand When a baby is getting less oxygen or nutrients in the womb, they will move less to conserve energy. Reduced baby movements can be a sign that something is wrong and should always be reported Women who experience more than one episode of reduced fetal movement have a higher risk of stillbirth. Norway has seen a significant reduction in their stillbirth rate by educating parents on the importance of baby movements. We aim to do the same. What the research says Alterations in frequency of fetal movements are important in identifying pregnancies at increased risk of stillbirth, with the greatest risk in women noting a reduction in fetal activity. (Alterations in maternally perceived fetal movement and their association with late stillbirth: findings from the Midland and North of England stillbirth case–control study,Alexander E P Heazell,1,2 Jayne Budd,2 Minglan Li,3 Robin Cronin,3 Billie Bradford,3Lesley M E McCowan, Edwin A Mitchell,4 Tomasina Stacey,5 Bill Martin,6Devender Roberts,7,8 John M D Thompson) Maternal perception of fetal activity is an accepted marker of fetal well-being. Conversely, maternal perception of changes in activity can indicate fetal compromise; the most commonly reported change is a reduction in fetal movement (Sadovsky E, Ohel G, Havazeleth H, et al. The definition and the significance of decreased fetal movements. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 1983;62:409–13.2.Leader LR, Baillie P, Van Schalkwyk DJ. Fetal movements and fetal outcome: a prospective study. Obstet Gynecol 1981;57:431–6.) Maternal perception of reduced fetal movements (RFM) is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes including fetal growth restriction (Heazell AE, Frøen JF. Methods of fetal movement counting and the detection of fetal compromise. J Obstet Gynaecol 2008;28:147–54.) Despite the known association between RFM and stillbirth, two Confidential Enquiries into antepartum stillbirth in the UK conducted 15 years apart highlighted suboptimal care in terms of the information given to mothers about fetal movements and clinical information given to mothers about fetal movements and clinical management when mothers attend with RFM as factors contributing to stillbirth (Maternal and Child Health Research Consortium. Confidential enquiry into stillbirths and deaths in infancy: 8th Annual Report, 1 January–31 December 1999. London: Maternal and Child Health Research Consortium, 2001.) Data from two case–control studies and a large international cohort study have both suggested that any significant deviation from a mother’s usual pattern of fetal movement is a risk factor for stillbirth (Stacey T, Thompson JM, Mitchell EA, et al. Maternal perception of fetal activity and late stillbirth risk: findings from the Auckland Stillbirth Study. Birth 2011;38:311–6.) Women report receiving mixed messages about the importance of fetal movements and the significance of RFM, indicating the need for clear information regarding these symptoms (Smyth RM, Taylor W, Heazell AE, et al. Women's and clinicians perspectives of presentation with reduced fetal movements: a qualitative study. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2016;16:280. Women whose pregnancy ended in stillbirth were less likely to check fetal movements (aOR 0.54, 95% CI 0.35–0.83) and were less likely to be told to do so by a health professional (aOR 0.55, 95% CI 0.36–0.86). Pregnancies ending in stillbirth were more frequently associated with significant abnormalities in fetal movements in the preceding two weeks; this included a significant reduction in fetal activity (aOR 14.1, 95% CI 7.27–27.45) or sudden single episode of excessiv efetal activity (aOR 4.30, 95% CI 2.25–8.24). Cases described their perception of changes in fetal activity differently tohealthy controls e.g. vigorous activity was described as“frantic”,“wild” or “crazy” compared to “powerful” or “strong”. Conclusions: Alterations in fetal activity are associated with increased risk of stillbirth. Pregnant women should be educated about awareness of fetal activity and reporting abnormal activity to health professionals. -(Stillbirth is associated with perceived alterations in fetal activity–findings from an international case control study Alexander E. P. Heazell1,2*, Jane Warland3, Tomasina Stacey4, Christin Coomarasamy5, Jayne Budd1,Edwin A. Mitchell 5 and Louise M. 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