Leeds Woman Disgusted At UK Stillbirth Figures
A Leeds woman who lost her baby says she's shocked at new figures that show the UK is still lagging behind other European countries when it comes to avoiding stillbirths and deaths of babies under four weeks.
There were more than 4700 recorded in Britain in 2013 – which is six in every thousand births.
And in Yorkshire it’s 10 % higher than the national average.
24-year-old Melanie Hughes from Whinmoor says the latest research shows that more needs to be done.
“It really irritates me, it makes me very angry to be honest , it’s something that I’ve found very hard to deal with. The numbers are disgusting and I just can’t understand how this is still happening – I just think there’s so much more we could be doing.”
It’s something Melanie’s come through herself. She gave birth to her son last February, after doctors told her he'd passed away.
“They couldn’t find his heartbeat so they took me to a scanning room. Even walking to the scanning room I didn’t expect the news I was about to be given... They then confirmed that he’d passed away… and then after that I think I was in labour for about 24 hours. “He was absolutely beautiful, he was perfect, there was nothing wrong with him. What happened was he had the cord wrapped around his neck.
"I personally don’t feel there’s a lot out there for people who go through this. I just didn’t feel strong enough to go out and reach out for help, I didn’t feel it was on my doorstep and given to me.”
Melanie fundraises for a charity that raises awareness of sudden infant death and neonatal death and is hoping to turn social media orange for an awareness month.
She says it doesn't just affect the immediate family and will impact others too, which is why it's important to start talking about it.
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