What is stillbirth?
Stillbirth is when a baby dies whilst inside its mother and can occur at anytime from 20 weeks until immediately before birth.
1 in every 140 babies born in Australia is stillborn
In Australia, each year, 2000 babies are stillborn and this number has remained steady for over ten years. It is disturbing that, in an age of enormous technical and medical advances, the death rate of stillborn babies is not declining nor well understood. The Stillbirth Foundation Australia has been established to encourage and fund research to ensure that the stillbirth rate begins to decline.
The Reality of Stillbirth
In addition to raising funds for stillbirth research, the Stillbirth Foundation Australia also aims to increase public awareness about stillbirth. We have always chosen to represent the reality of stillbirth through true stories and photographs of real babies, and for this simple initiative we are very proud and will continue to do so. We have recently created a stillbirth a presentation which beautifully demonstrates the reality of stillbirth whilst highlighting the need for further funding and are thrilled to be able to now share this with you.
We would like to thank all of the families that have kindly shared their photos with us in order to make this possible, as well as Emily Bird for helping us to create this wonderful piece. The presentation has been loaded on to this website, utilising YouTube, and we encourage you to view and share with family and friends across the globe.
What is the Stillbirth Foundation Australia?
The Stillbirth Foundation Australia is the first and only organisation in Australia dedicated to the sole understanding of stillbirth.
Six babies are delivered stillborn every day and the rate of unexplained stillbirth is 10 times more common than SIDS.
The ultimate goal of the Stillbirth Foundation Australia is to reduce the incidence of stillbirth, and to reach this goal operates with the aims to:
- fund and encourage research into stillbirth; and
- increase public awareness about stillbirth.
In just four years, the Stillbirth Foundation Australia has raised $600,000, but we believe we need at least $1 million a year to fight this major health issue.