Stillbirth CRE News

The Stillbirth Centre of Research Excellence (Stillbirth CRE), in collaboration with key partners, has contributed to the national conversation on stillbirth prevention through two important submissions to the Senate Inquiry into Stillbirth in South Australia. These submissions address critical areas such as stillbirth prevention education, maternity care models, bereavement support, data collection, and research funding. […]

Sophie generously shares her story of Ollie and connecting with research in his memory. After 2 miscarriages, we thought that this pregnancy with Oliver was the one. Like many mums, I avoided specific foods and alcohol, went to every antenatal appointment, slept on my side. I withheld my excitement until we saw Ollie’s little fingers […]

Season’s Greetings! As the year draws to a close, we want to sincerely thank you for your continued support throughout 2024. We understand that the holiday season can be particularly challenging for those who have experienced the loss of a baby and our thoughts are with you during this time. If you’re seeking support, we […]

A Time to Reflect, Remember, and Raise Awareness Together, we can honour the memory of babies who have died too soon. October is recognised globally as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. It is a time for families, communities, and healthcare professionals to come together to break the silence surrounding miscarriage, stillbirth, and infant death. […]

Before the Waves of Change Conference, a workshop was held to look at how the voices of bereaved parents can be amplified in stillbirth research. Updates on the framework will be shared soon. Waves of Change conference The Waves of Change conference was a huge success, held at the Gold Coast University Conference from August […]

There is an unmeasurable undoing following the loss of a baby or child. While you know you are not the first person to feel the guttural pain, the emptiness, the shock, and the confusion of this out-of-order loss – you feel alone and lost. You find yourself searching for stories and words, that resonate and […]

Australia has made strides towards reducing stillbirths by 20% by December 2025, a target set out in the 2020 National Stillbirth Action and Implementation Plan, but there is still work to be done. Stillbirth CRE Director, Professor Vicki Flenady sat down with ABC to talk about what needs to happen to meet these targets and […]

First Nations women face almost twice the risk of stillbirth or “sorry business babies” compared to non-First Nations women in Australia. By developing culturally adapted resources and providing education and training, the Stillbirth CRE is working to help eliminate racial disparities in stillbirth rates in Australia. Read the full story here: https://theconversation.com/first-nations-women-are-at-greater-risk-of-stillbirth-heres-why-and-what-we-can-do-about-it-232914

For parents who have experienced stillbirth and go on to have subsequent pregnancies, it can be an incredibly difficult and complex time. The Stillbirth CRE and Perinatal Society of Australia and New Zealand (PSANZ) have released the 2024 edition of the Care Around Stillbirth and Neonatal Death (CASaND) Clinical Practice Guideline. This edition includes a new section […]

Kirstin Tindal started work at the Stillbirth CRE one year ago as a Senior Research Assistant.  Since then, Kirstin’s role has seen her take on various responsibilities – from serving as the dedicated Parent Engagement Officer to spearheading the research priority setting exercise which brought together researchers, healthcare professionals and bereaved parents from across Australia, […]

Chris and Kylie Stewart’s first-born child Alexander Hamish was stillborn in 2019, a month before his due date. Both parents, who work in public policy, felt the pregnancy was a smooth one, until one night when Kylie was 8 months pregnant, she felt pain and headed to the hospital thinking she was going into early […]

Stillbirth CRE Director and Mater Senior Research Fellow Professor Vicki Flenady AM said that the Stillbirth CRE team are proud to be launching this updated CASaND Guideline. “The new guideline reflects the best evidence around how to care for families who experience this devastating loss,” Prof Flenady said. “We know almost 3,000 families endure this […]

The Stillbirth CRE’s work, in close collaboration with a wide range of partners, is important to women and families and needs to continue, at scale. Our pre-budget submission builds on current work to ensure we’re equipped to continue the research, innovation and implementation that will be required to realise our important goal of reducing stillbirth […]

U.S. highlighting Australia as a global leader in stillbirth prevention with a focus on bridging the gap between research and best practice care for women and families. Read full story here: https://www.propublica.org/article/what-australia-could-teach-america-about-reducing-stillbirths

From all of us here at the Stillbirth CRE, we wish you a safe and happy holiday season!Thank you for your continued support. As we wrap up another great year, we would like to take the opportunity to express our heartfelt appreciation for your ongoing support throughout the year. We are so proud of what […]

FIRST Nations women as well as migrant and refugee women from communities disproportionately impacted by stillbirth have been involved in co-designing new culturally appropriate pregnancy resources, to save the lives of babies in their own communities. Stillbirth rates in Australia remain tragically high, with six babies stillborn on average, every day. A suite of sensitively-crafted, […]

In the depths of insurmountable grief over the loss of her baby daughter, Fatima El-Assaad felt like she was totally alone. Dr El-Assaad gave birth to her daughter Aya, who was stillborn, in 2021.  “In that moment, you honestly think that you’re the only one experiencing this and that nobody can really relate to the sorrow and […]

Australian midwives and other maternity services clinicians will be trained in a nation-wide bereavement program, thanks to a $980,000 grant awarded by the Federal Government today to enhance support for parents who experience the death of a baby during pregnancy (miscarriage or stillbirth) or soon after birth (neonatal death). The Stillbirth Centre of Research Excellence […]

Get to know our researchers here at the Stillbirth CRE! This week, we had the pleasure of spending a few minutes with Dr Jessica Sexton, where she shared insights into her current projects and why she is passionate about her work here. How long have you worked at the Stillbirth CRE and what is your […]

Welcome to the latest edition! We have a big year ahead of us and we’re excited to share our progress with you. Read on for updates on soon to be released resources, upcoming events, job opportunities within the team and much more. Upcoming Events Annual National Stillbirth Forum  The Annual National Stillbirth Forum is happening […]

This project forms part of the overarching Stillbirth Education and Awareness Grant Opportunity (GO2536) grant with the Public Awareness campaign component led by Red Nose in partnership with Stillbirth CRE, Stillbirth Foundation Australia and Sands. The evaluation assessed the campaign effects on empowering women and increasing community awareness of stillbirth. The evaluation looked at changes […]

Get to know our researchers here at the Stillbirth CRE! This week, we had the pleasure of spending a few minutes with Dr Rupesh Gautam, where he shared insights into his current projects and why he is passionate about his work here. What is your role at the Stillbirth CRE? I coordinate projects that fall […]

Hello everyone, With the festive season nearly here, the Stillbirth CRE would like to wish you a safe and peaceful holiday.  This holiday season our heartfelt thoughts are with those who have lost loved ones. We trust you are able to find the time and space to connect and remember them in your own way. […]

The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care has released the first national Stillbirth Clinical Care Standard, which aims to reduce stillbirth rates and the stigma attached to the experience. Find more details here: https://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/standards/clinical-care-standards/stillbirth-clinical-care-standard

The Annual National Stillbirth Forum will be now held in Brisbane on the 3 & 4 November 2022. Save the date!

Indigenous videos The Indigenous Videos Series were developed by the Indigenous Advisory Group, Stillbirth CRE as part of addressing stillbirth prevention and bereavement care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. The development of these videos was led by Deanna Stuart-Butler, Senior Advisor of the Stillbirth CRE’s Indigenous research projects and descendant of the Arabana […]

Please visit the United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME) web portal to access the latest data and estimates on stillbirths and child mortality. UNICEF Data & Analytics have shared some of the materials from the launch of Stillbirth profiles. Webinar recording                 Webinar presentations

Indigenous artwork for the Stillbirth CRE “Protection” was commissioned by the Stillbirth CRE as part of its Indigenous Research Program. The purpose of the piece is to help raise awareness about the importance of culturally safe and appropriate Indigenous perinatal health and bereavement support in Australia, and to promote collaboration to improve outcomes for Aboriginal […]

The Centre of Research Excellence in Stillbirth (Stillbirth CRE) was established in 2016 based on astrong collaborative group developed over 20 years as part of the Perinatal Society of Australia andNew Zealand (PSANZ). A close partnership between these groups continues. The  Stillbirth CRE 2016-2021 Report offers a snapshot of activities conducted within each of the […]

Hi everyone, and welcome to the first Stillbirth CRE Newsletter for 2022. It’s looking like it could be another challenging year for many of us, as Coronavirus continues to affect families, workplaces, and individuals. Please stay safe out there and take precautions. The Centre of Research Excellence in Stillbirth is firmly recommending pregnant women, those […]

ABC TV’s Catalyst series. This intimate look at the awe-inspiring world of fetal surgery is a story of hope and trailblazing medicine. Follow pioneering doctors as they help parents face agonising decisions about their baby’s future. 58 minutes 57 seconds. Watch Professor Sailesh Kumar via iview here.

Congratulations to the latest winners of the Mater Research Publication Recognition Scheme – Dr Friederike Beker, Professor Vicki Flenady, Chloe Yap and Dr Yuanhao Yang. The Publication Recognition Scheme aims to incentivise and reward outstanding scholarly achievements by Mater and Mater affiliated researchers, in the fields of biomedical and clinical research. Read the Mater Research story […]

The death of a baby is one of the most traumatic and isolating experiences a mother and family can go through. For the culturally and linguistically diverse communities of Australia, without the cultural context and sensitivity, the tragedy can be even more amplified. Dr Christine Andrews on episode three of this SBS podcast. Reaching out […]

Three ground-breaking stillbirth research projects will support research into stillbirth prevention andprovide better support for parents who have already endured one. Leading stillbirth advocacy group, Stillbirth Foundation Australia (the Foundation), together with theStillbirth Centre of Research Excellence, proudly announced the major funding today. Read Stillbirth Foundation Australia’s press release here.

The Stillbirth CRE wishes you a safe and happy holiday season. Our thoughts are with those parents who are grieving the death of their baby, which can be especially difficult at this time of the year. If you and your family need support, please visit these parent support organisations: Red Nose Australia, Sands, Bears of […]

Stillbirth is a tragedy that affects too many families—every day in Australia six babies are stillborn and there has been little improvement in that rate for three decades. However recent research has shown that there are evidence-based modifiable risk factors and it is important to arm expectant parents with information about these so they may […]

When lockdowns began and medical appointments took a shift towards telehealth last year, researchers started watching the numbers very closely. Would telehealth be as good as face-to-face care? How much would a fear of getting infected with COVID-19 deter people from going into clinics and hospitals? Read the article on ABC News online.

Curtin university researchers will be carrying out a first-of-its-kind examination of stillbirths amongAboriginal families in a project supported by the federal government. Led by Associate Professor Carrington Shepherd from the Curtin medical school, the project will involveresearchers and health professionals working in close partnership with Aboriginal elders, communities andlocal service providers. Read article – subscription […]

The health of both mothers and babies can have important life-long implications. In 2019, there were 303,054 babies born to 298,567 mothers in Australia. Explore the characteristics and health of mothers and their babies through interactive data visualisations, and in-depth information and trends on the antenatal period, labour and birth, and outcomes for babies at birth. Read […]

A guide to support parents who tragically experience the death of their baby was launched this month (November 12). Funded by donors to Stillbirth Foundation Australia, and developed in partnership with the Centre of Research Excellence in Stillbirth, the guide aims to help families with the difficult and heartbreaking journey. Six children are stillborn in […]

Victorian maternity services that introduced the Safer Baby Bundle between 2019 and 2021 have seen a 21 per cent decline in stillbirths — the first real change to the state’s stillbirth rate in almost two decades. According to Safer Care Victoria, 20 stillbirths were prevented over an 18-month period after the initiative was introduced to 15 maternity services across the […]

More than 2,100 babies are stillborn in Australia every year – a statistic that hasn’t changed in nearly 30 years. A Queensland professor and her team are determined to make a difference this International Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness month. Read the UQ News story here.

More than 2,100 babies are stillborn in Australia every year – a statistic that hasn’t changed in nearly 30 years. Professor Vicki Flenady on this significant day and month. The University of Queensland lit up the iconic Forgan Smith Building in the Great Court at their St Lucia Campus in honour of those babies lost. […]

October is International Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month In February this year, the Federal Parliament of Australia officially recognised October 15 as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day – an important acknowledgement for the women and families who have lost a baby through stillbirth, infant death or miscarriage. Some of our close partners are […]

Interviews with Professor David Ellwood, Associate Professor Fran Boyle and Stillbirth Foundation Australia’s Leigh Brezler. Read ABC News story here.

We are pleased to announce the call for our joint 2021 grant funding round is now open. The Foundation will consider applications that address any aspect of stillbirth; however, priority will be given to clinical studies that address any of the three areas below: Novel/non-invasive ways to monitor fetal health and wellbeing; The development of novel platforms […]

CRANAplus has been supporting the Centre of Research Excellence in Stillbirth for several years, and more recently collaborated on the development of the Rural and Remote Advisory Group – ensuring that the needs of Australia’s rural and remote women and their clinicians are considered and addressed. An excellent look at the StillbirthCRE and how we […]

Stillbirth is a major public health problem with an enormous global mortality burden and psychosocial impact on women, families, communities, and health systems.[1,2] Using the World Health Organization (WHO) definition of 28+ weeks, one stillbirth occurs every 16 seconds around the world. However, the current global estimate of 2 million stillbirths a year is likely […]

In this blog for maternity care providers and families, Dr Aleena Wojcieszek, clinical epidemiologist, science communicator, and honorary research fellow at the Australian Centre of Research Excellence in Stillbirth (Stillbirth CRE), and Ms Susannah Hopkins Leisher, mom to stillborn son Wilder Daniel (13 July 1999), PhD student in epidemiology at Columbia University, and chair of […]

The rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine has begun, with most people over the age of 16 eligible for vaccination at some stage of the year. However, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, you might be wondering whether it is safe for you to get the vaccine. The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has provisionally approved 2 […]

The International Stillbirth Alliance and the Stillbirth CRE welcomes the systematic review by Barbara Chmielewska and colleagues (June, 2021), particularly its inclusion of stillbirths, because these are often missing from the global agenda. The 28% increased pooled odds in reported stillbirth during the COVID-19 pandemic is concerning. We wish to highlight some data limitations that will […]

A new research study launching on 28 June will trial a national online grief support program for parents following a stillbirth or the death of their newborn baby. The NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Stillbirth (Stillbirth CRE) is coordinating the research study to evaluate the effectiveness of the program, which was co-designed and developed […]

Maternity healthcare professionals from across Australia will join virtually tomorrow for a two-day forum to discuss the latest research in stillbirth prevention and promote national collaboration in a bid to reduce Australia’s stillbirth rate, particularly in communities that shoulder the burden of stillbirth in Australia. Hosted by the NHRMC Centre of Research Excellence in Stillbirth […]

Research In Focus Living with Loss Research Trial Launches at the End of June The Stillbirth CRE is launching a new research study at the end of the month to evaluate the effectiveness of an online bereavement support program, ‘Living with Loss’. The program incorporates evidence-based coping strategies commonly used by healthcare professionals to help […]

Tionie Newth, clinical midwifery consultant and research midwife at the Stillbirth CRE, contributed an article to the Winter 2021 edition of Australian Midwifery News, a publication of the Australian College of Midwives, highlighting the roll-out of the Safer Baby Bundle across maternity services in Australia, including recent launches at some of Queensland’s largest maternity hospitals.

An analysis of multiple scientific studies suggests that higher temperatures may cause more stillbirths. A new study published in the scientific journal Environmental Research suggests a connection between an increase in the Earth’s temperature and more stillbirths. Salon.com reports on the study, which included researchers from the University of Queensland and the Stillbirth CRE at Mater Research. Read the […]

A new report highlights the importance of clear and consistent stillbirth prevention messages, with most pregnant women following advice to go to sleep on their side from 28 weeks of pregnancy. The study published in Women and Birth journal found that more than 85% of surveyed pregnant women in their third trimester (28 weeks’ or […]

A new paper published in Women and Birth Journal, led by the Stillbirth CRE’s Kara Warrilow, highlights the importance of communicating clear stillbirth prevention messages, with pregnant women more likely to go to sleep on their side if they receive advice to do so. The study, titled “Australian women’s perceptions and practice of sleep position […]

A new study recently published in Environmental Research Journal indicates there may be a link between ambient temperature and safer pregnancies. Led by Jessica Sexton at the Stillbirth CRE, the paper titled “Systematic review of ambient temperature exposure during pregnancy and stillbirth: Methods and evidence,” reviewed 12 eligible articles among 538 records that analysed analysed […]

A new study, recently published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, has found that compliance with recommended investigations for stillbirths as outlined in the Perinatal Society of Australia and New Zealand  Perinatal Mortality Clinical Practice Guidelines (2009) was suboptimal in 2018, with many stillbirths remaining unexplained. The paper, titled “ […]

Dozens of late gestation stillbirths in Queensland have no identifiable cause, a new study shows. Researchers analyzed 56 stillbirths that occurred in 2018 across Queensland at 34 weeks’ gestation and later, finding more than half were unexplained. Read more online or download the article below.

Gold Coast University Hospital is one of the latest hospitals in Queensland to roll out the Safer Baby Bundle to help prevent late gestation stillbirths.

Experts say new research is a reminder of the importance of recognising risk factors for stillbirth. Six babies are stillborn and two die within 28 days of birth every day in Australia, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). Now new research, published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, shows that a […]

New research highlights that higher autopsy rates and improved care for at-risk women could hold the key to better pregnancy outcomes A new study, published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology this week, found that 55% of stillbirth after 34 weeks’ gestation in Queensland in 2018 were classified as unexplained. […]

Welcome to the first newsletter for 2021! It’s already the end of March, which means some of the biggest forums and events of the year are just around the corner. It’s also been one year since the start of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Even as the vaccine roll-out begins in Australia, the Stillbirth CRE recognises that pregnant […]

Pregnancy and antenatal services have been affected by COVID-19. Stillbirth CRE Co-Director Professor Vicki Flenaday spoke to ABC Radio National’s Health Report about a recent Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report that found a decrease in face-to-face antenatal services in 2020, and whether this could impact pregnancy outcomes.

Australia’s leading stillbirth research initiative calls for access to quality antenatal care and support for women during pandemic A collaboration of Australia’s top stillbirth researchers has called for improved antenatal care during the COVID-19 pandemic, following the release of a national report that showed pregnant women were less likely to seek face-to-face antenatal appointments during […]

Australia’s leading stillbirth research centre has welcomed a new national plan setting out a roadmap to reduce the rate of stillbirth in Australia. Today’s launch of the National Stillbirth Action and Implementation Plan marks the first Australia-wide plan to strategically address the issue of stillbirth. Professor Vicki Flenady, Director of the Centre of Research Excellence […]

Safer Baby Bundle Aims to Reduce the Rate of Stillbirth in ACT Hospitals across Canberra will today begin implementing a new program designed to significantly reduce the rate of preventable stillbirths. The Safer Baby Bundle is a package of resources and interventions for maternity health professionals designed to reduce the ACT’s incidence of late-gestation stillbirth […]

It’s already mid-December, and the start of the holiday season. We’d like to thank all our partners and collaborators for your hard work and ongoing support in what has been an extremely challenging year. We look forward to working with you in 2021 and wish you all the best for the New Year. Please note […]

A new online learning module designed to help healthcare professionals in Australia and New Zealand provide supportive and sensitive care to families who experience a stillbirth launched today. In partnership with the Perinatal Society of Australia and New Zealand (PSANZ), the Centre of Research Excellence in Stillbirth (Stillbirth CRE) has released IMPROVE ‘IMproving Perinatal Mortality […]

Safer Baby Bundle to Help Reduce the Rate of Stillbirth in Western Australia Western Australia has joined a new initiative to tackle the nation’s stillbirth rate. The Safer Baby Bundle is a range of resources and interventions designed to reduce Australia’s incidence of late-gestation stillbirth (after 28 weeks). Across Australia, an average of six infants […]

With the impacts of COVID-19 still ongoing, we extend our thoughts to the Melbourne community, who have been affected most by restrictions in Australia. We hope you are all keeping safe and well and send a special message of support to our healthcare workers. The Stillbirth CRE co-ordinating team continues to work from home and […]

Safer Baby Bundle Rolls Out to Reduce the Rate of Stillbirth in Queensland Thirty-six hospitals across Queensland will today begin implementing a new program designed to significantly reduce the rate of late gestation stillbirth. Maternity healthcare professionals across the state—from Queensland’s largest maternity hospitals, Mater Mothers’ Hospital and the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, to […]

Under embargo until 12:01am AEST Tuesday 20th October Many of the more than 2000 stillbirths that occur in Australia each year are preventable through improved maternity care, according to a major new collection of peer-reviewed papers published today in the journal Women and Birth. The Australian College of Midwives’ journal Women and Birth has published […]

Australia has made some progress in reducing stillbirths over the last 20 years but this neglected tragedy demands significantly more attention, according to a major new global report. The United Nations Inter-Agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation will today release its first ever comprehensive data analysis on global stillbirth rates. The report, titled A Neglected […]

The Stillbirth Centre of Research Excellence (Stillbirth CRE) welcomes the federal government’s announcement of a new education and awareness campaign aimed at reducing Australia’s unacceptably high rate of stillbirth. Health Minister Greg Hunt today announced funding for the Stillbirth CRE to develop new resources for pregnant women, based on the Australian Safer Baby Bundle, to […]

Stillbirth is the death of a baby before or during birth, born at 20 or more weeks of gestation, or at 400 grams or more birth weight. States and territories register a stillbirth after 20 weeks as a birth and issue a birth certificate. Some of you will know that twenty-one years ago I gave birth […]