Stillbirth organizations try for prevention

Nineteen percent of parents in the United States have lost a child, any age, any cause. From a recent study three leading causes of a child’s death are miscarriage (42%), illness (26%) and accidents (12%). Other causes include stillbirths (11%), SIDS (4%), suicide (3%) and murders (2%).

The International Stillbirth Alliance (ISA) is a non-profit coalition of organizations dedicated to understanding the causes and prevention of stillbirths (including miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies), making up a large percentage of these causes.

Their mission is to raise awareness, educate on recommended precautionary practices and facilitate research on the prevention of stillbirth. ISA serves as a centralized resource for sharing information and connecting organizations and individuals.

ISA wants to make a difference by uniting groups around these issues. They believe that having a centralized place for stillbirth issues and sharing information will accelerate progress. They want to provide the public with accurate and validated information about stillbirth.

One way they do this is by holding an international conference each year. The two-day meeting, March 8-10, 2009, will be in South Africa and focus on prevention strategies for stillbirth and newborn deaths and providing bereavement care in developing countries. Many sessions and speakers will participate. For additional information, go to: www.stillbirthalliance.org and click on 2009 Conference .

An important project of ISA is to give families and friends the opportunity to honor a baby who has died by having parents write loving messages or poems, thereby creating a beautiful memory. Many parents find comfort in creating memories and sharing them with others. They then realize they are not alone in their grief.

Donations in memory of a child are always accepted to help further their work. If you become a member you will receive all their literature, their newsletters and any important findings dealing with stillbirths. Raising awareness and understanding globally across all areas of society about this important issue is their goal and hopefully, it will lead to prevention through research.