Stillbirth Statistics

From the recent series of articles printed in the British medical journal The Lancet, which coordinated a study with the World Health Organization:

• 2.6 million third-trimester stillbirths worldwide each year;
• 1.1 million could be prevented, The Lancet estimates, with simple interventions like folic acid supplements before conception, diabetes management in the mother, and detection of hypertension, among others;

Stillbirths are an invisible public health epidemic, with no national or global initiative to track or prevent.

I don't speak out because I am grieving, or because I am depressed, or because I am dwelling on the fact that Ben is dead. I speak out because I love him, and because if more people know that almost 50% of stillbirths can be prevented, if society has the will to research, fund, and educate the population, (as with SIDS research and education), we can make a huge difference in many, many lives. We can spare parents the sorrow my family has experienced.

Let me make it clear: yes, I still grieve for my son, it's only natural. There are a lifetime of moments I will never experience with him. I miss him, always, every day. I'm here now because I want to make a difference, not because I am dwelling in my loss. You don't get over it, but you learn to incorporate it into your life. That's what I've done.

I can make a difference. That's why I'm here.

Stillbirth Study Released from The Lancet

The Lancet, a UK-based medical journal, released a new study today, done in conjunction with Save the Children, about stillbirth on a global scale.

According to The Lancet, 2.6 million women suffer a stillbirth every year, with 98% of those women living in developing countries. Worldwide, the rate of stillbirth has dropped only 1.1% per year since 1995.

Dr. Carole Presern, Director of The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, said: “Stillbirths need to be an integral part of the maternal, newborn and child health agenda."


From the World Health Organization website: “Almost no burden affecting families is so big and yet so invisible both in society and on the global public health agenda.” Joy Lawn, M.D., PhD, Director of Global Evidence and Policy, Saving Newborn Lives/Save the Children, and a lead author of this study.