Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day

Dr HARVEY (Newland) (15:37): Today, I would like to speak about Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day, which is observed on 15 October each year. It is also worth noting that October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day is a day when parents, families and friends remember those they have lost by miscarriage, stillbirth and newborn death. These are hidden tragedies impacting many thousands of families across our community; in fact, there are 106,000 cases of miscarriage, stillbirth and newborn death in Australia each year.

Whilst all forms of pregnancy and infant loss are extraordinarily tragic, today I would like to focus on stillbirth. Stillbirth is defined in Australia as the birth of a child without signs of life after 20 weeks' gestation or after attaining a weight of 400 grams or more. Stillbirth is the most common form of child death in Australia, affecting more than 2,000 families per year—that is six per day. Whilst, thanks to campaigns such as Red Nose Day, the incidence of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome in Australia has reduced by 85 per cent since 1990, the number of stillbirths in Australia has remained relatively unchanged for the last 25 years.

Even though stillbirth is statistically more common than SIDS, it is rarely discussed in public. Stillbirth is something we do not like to talk about. The death of a child, particularly one who has not yet been born, causes such unimaginable grief and trauma that it is not something we like to think about.

But a culture of silence and stigma surrounding this issue prevents important conversations from happening. Silence stymies the sharing of advice about some of the risks and signs associated with stillbirth that could help save lives. Silence also leaves families impacted by stillbirth feeling incredibly isolated, which exacerbates the trauma they experience, as parents are also less likely to be prepared to deal with the personal, social and financial consequences.

I have not personally had a stillborn baby, but there are those close to me who have. The shock, trauma and grief of their loss are immense. For one family, 12 years ago the excitement and anticipation of having their first child were cruelly taken away one night by the realisation that their soon-to-be-born daughter's heart had stopped beating. At a time when new parents should be sharing the excitement of their new child with family and friends, their family, friends and work colleagues were being informed of their loss, and they were instead planning a funeral for a child they had barely had the opportunity to meet.

Mum's feeling of guilt and regret continues for years, as well as a longing to turn back the clock to do things differently. Another mum frequently refers to her stillbirth as when she 'stuffed up', as though somehow it was her fault. Moreover, having more children following the death of their first child was an experience of joy and excitement but also involved a great deal of anxiety, apprehension and ultimately relief.

However, as a loving tribute to their daughter, her birthday is acknowledged each year with a birthday cake and singing 'happy birthday', and importantly this day is shared with her younger siblings. She was and is a member of their family. She was lovingly anticipated, lost too soon but will always be remembered.

The reality is that whilst not every stillbirth is preventable many are, and other countries have had success in reducing the rates of stillbirth. Improved community awareness and awareness amongst medical professionals have played a particularly important role in reducing rates of stillbirth in other jurisdictions through the sharing of evidence-based advice about the risk factors and signs associated with stillbirth, much in the same way as we have already been doing to reduce SIDS.

The experience in other jurisdictions and research being conducted right here in Australia are helping provide clinicians and expectant parents with good advice, but what is essential is for the stigma to be lifted on stillbirths so that these important conversations can happen, and that is where we can all help. At this point, I would like to acknowledge the important work of the Adelaide-based organisation, Still Aware, led by Claire Foord, which is focused on reducing the incidence of preventable stillbirth through increasing awareness and the sharing of evidence-based educational resources to both parents and medical professionals.

The second important role of increased community awareness is in supporting those families who have experienced stillbirth. Such an emotionally painful and traumatic event is not one that can or should be shouldered alone. Being able to talk about stillbirth openly and acknowledging the impact it has on so many within our community can only help support families through their grief.

So this Thursday, 15 October, let's support families who have experienced pregnancy and infant loss by acknowledging their loss, helping bring their grief out from the shadows and doing our bit to reduce the incidence of preventable stillbirths within our community into the future.