- Target:
- 10 Downing Street, Dept of Health, NICE
- Region:
- United Kingdom
Updated Petition following the delivery of 1200 signatures to Downing Street, Dept of health and NICE.
In the UK 18 babies die everyday (11 stillbirths and 7 neonatal deaths) that is almost 6,570 babies every year – the equivalent to 16 jumbo jets crashing and killing everyone on board.
Can you imagine the headline” Sixteen jumbo jets crash killing everyone on board, 6570 lives lost”– everyone would be talking about it there would be a public outcry but because they are babies there is no public outcry, there are only platitudes and promises that next time it will be different.
Maternity Care needs to be improved to reduce the numbers of babies dying and the devastation of so many lives. The Lancet Report in April 2011 stated that the UK has one of the highest rates of Stillbirth in Europe, more than 4000 families every year bring their baby home in a coffin. We want the voices of the many families who have suffered the devastation of a stillbirth, neonatal death or the death of a baby to be heard.
We, the undersigned call on the Government to improve Maternity Care and reduce the number of babies dying everyday in the UK.
We need you to hear from as many people as possible so that our children and we have a voice. We need changes to be made. We need the Government to hear from real people whose lives have been devastated by the death of their baby. Many women have asked for extra scans because they hadn’t felt baby move or because they needed reassurance but they are told not to worry, babies slow down when you get closer to delivery, don’t worry all will be fine and then the baby dies and every one fusses around but if only, if only they had listened that extra scan could have made a huge difference between life and death.
A minute to scan to reassure, or a lifetime of pain. There are many other things that can be done for women when pregnant, Strep B testing, other blood tests which cost so little but would alleviate the pain of so many, we are all unique, unfortunately the antenatal/maternity care is uniform, like a conveyor belt system and leaves no flexibility for extra checks, scans etc but why not? When you go through a subsequent pregnancy all the stops are pulled out and you can have anything, a little late.
We appreciate that this all comes down to money but reducing the number of babies dying and families going through the most horrific experience would be so much better for everyone. Saving money or saving a life is what it has come down to.
We need the Government to understand that parents lives are ripped apart because their baby dies, it is not only their baby that dies but also a future. Life will never be the same for those parents, families and friends; their lives will be changed forever. Of course no one acknowledges the parents of these little ones, there is no name for them, if one loses a partner they are a widow or widower, if one loses their parents they are orphans but if one experiences the death of their baby they are a parent with empty arms and a lost future. This outrage has to stop and we are going to endeavour to reduce this horror.
We need the government to listen to the voices of those who use the service and take into consideration when doing reviews and/or budgets that it cannot be all about money but about real lives, real people and real futures.
Don’t let them make our precious children the Forgotten Babies.
By the time the Olympics come to London in 2012 another 8000 babies will have died and thousands of families’ lives will be devastated and changed forever. We ask you the voice of the people and of our children to make a difference, to save lives.
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The Reduce the number of babies dying and improve maternity care petition to 10 Downing Street, Dept of Health, NICE was written by Colette Murphy and is in the category Health at GoPetition.