Blog – Bereaved Parent Involvement in Research Updates

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.

• 15 members of the Bereaved Parents Advocacy Committee and 15 maternity care researchers and professionals came together for a workshop at Gold Coast University Hospital.
• The August 9 workshop aimed to discuss the challenges faced by researchers, healthcare professionals and bereaved parents in research projects.
• Led by Dr. Christine Andrews from Stillbirth CRE, the Program Logic workshop sparked inspiring and passionate discussions among participants.
• A key focus was on generating ideas and solutions to make bereaved parents’ involvement in research more meaningful.
• As a creative outlet from the emotion of the day, participants created small pieces of artwork, many drawing inspiration from the babies they have lost.
• The event was saw many new bonds and friendships forged between bereaved parents from across the country.
• The workshop developed a model working towards a framework to enhance bereaved parents’ involvement in co-designing stillbirth research activities.

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 9-11.

Highlights from the Three-Day Conference:

• Prof. Vicki Flenady delivered a powerful speech on the successes and challenges at the Stillbirth CRE, making an important plea for further efforts to meet stillbirth reduction targets.
• Heidi Mules shared her personal story of losing her daughter Sophie, expressing her wish for better information from healthcare professionals about birth timing and stillbirth risks.
• We heard about the work UK researchers are doing in African nations, highlighting simple technologies to detect preeclampsia and the positive impact of peer-support programs among young mothers.
• We had discussions about the future potential of AI in ultrasound and outcomes from last year’s research priority setting.
• A moving panel discussion featured Bridie Kean, who shared her experience of navigating a complex twin pregnancy and the loss of Alexander, alongside her doctor, Glenn Gardener, and midwife, Emma Porter.
• The conference saw the launch of the “Living with Loss” program.
• The final day showcased groundbreaking research in perinatal care, including saving babies at 22 weeks’ gestation, reducing perinatal mortality for migrant women and improving fetal anomaly detection in Australia.
• The concluding session featured a lively debate between Prof. Sue Walker and Prof. Aris Papageorghiou on the most appropriate fetal growth charts, with attendees joining in singing “Don’t Go Changing My Chart.”
• Bereaved Parent Advocacy Committee members including Sarah Fogarty, Monique Lumley, Jules Mallia, Danielle Pollock, Megan Warren, and Sarah Matheson did an outstanding job co-facilitating sessions throughout the conference.

Thanks to everyone involved for making the conference a success.