A major national audit of stillbirths and other perinatal
deaths up to four weeks after birth has been published by the National
Perinatal Epidemiology Centre, based in Cork, which works with Ireland’s 20
maternity hospitals to bring about improvements in maternity services.
Each of the maternity units reported detailed information to
the centre whenever it recorded a perinatal death - a stillbirth or neonatal
death occurring up to 28 days.
The audit shows that major congenital anomaly - such as the
brain not developing - was the most common cause of death
highlighting the need to establish perinatal hospice care for
babies with fatal fetal abnormalities such as anencephaly
.
The study indicates that there were 491 perinatal deaths in
the Republic of Ireland during 2011, with stillbirths accounting for the
majority of these. The death rates in hospitals varied from 1.9 per 1,000 births
to 9.1 per 1,000 births. However when babies with fatal birth defects were
excluded and only those who could possibly have survived are counted, the death
rates again ranged from 1.5 per 1,000 births to 6.6 per 1,000 births.
The perinatal hospice approach walks with families on their
journey through pregnancy, birth, and death, honoring the baby as well as the
baby's family. Perinatal hospice is not a place; it is more a frame of mind. It
is a way of caring for the pregnant mother, the baby, the father, and all
involved with dignity and love. Even in areas without a formal program, parents
can create a loving experience for themselves and their baby, and health
professionals and family and friends can offer support in the spirit of hospice
care.
Overall the study shows that Irish perinatal mortality rates
compare favourably with British and European rates. However, the experts who
compiled the audit have called for access to specialist perinatal pathology
services in each health service region to reduce the mortality rate further.
