The Loss Mother's Stone

The chances of dying in a plane crash are 1 in 11 million, yet no plane will ever leave the ground without a safety briefing. In the United States every year, the chances of a pregnancy ending in a stillbirth is just 1 in every 170, yet few pregnant people have ever heard of the term stillbirth. This number is the equivalent of three kindergarten classrooms of children gone, every single day, and over 21,000 children gone each year. Studies have shown that 23% of stillbirths are potentially preventable and in the final weeks of pregnancy, that percentage jumps to almost half, yet in the U.S. we are scared to even mutter the words scare potential parents. Finding out your baby has died just weeks before your due date, or in the moment of labor, results in unimaginable trauma. The goal of the project is to educate not just those going through pregnancy but the general public, doctors, and public officials to change the outcome and play a role in reducing bias in care.

The rest of the developed world has stepped in on education around stillbirths. As a result, Australia reduced its rate by 30%. The UK has reduced its rate by 20%. Out of 49 high income countries, the U.S. ranks 48th in its annual rate of reduction of stillbirth. It’s time the US joined the movement to end preventable stillbirth.