Archdiocese of St. Louis’ Post

I am delighted that Group B Strep Support (GBSS) is part of a coalition of 13 leading pregnancy, birth and early parenting charities giving evidence to the Covid-19 Inquiry next week. It's so important that the Inquiry hears the perspectives of those affected by the pandemic during their pregnancy, maternity, and neonatal care experiences. By doing that, lessons can be learned and better decisions can be made in future. #Covid19Inquiry #CharitiesWorkingTogether

“It feels from that quote, and the examples from the Miscarriage Association, as if miscarriage was downplayed... It wasn’t prioritised.” – Jenny Ward, Chair of the Pregnancy and Baby Charities Network, speaking on behalf of the Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting Organisations at the UK Covid-19 Inquiry. The Miscarriage Association and 12 other leading pregnancy, birth and early parenting charities have come together to highlight the often-devastating impact of restrictions to access care throughout 2020 and beyond. Today, some of the evidence you provided has been read out and discussed, to identify areas of care and procedure which require improvement. You can listen to some of the Inquiry through these clips, and find out more about the impact of the pandemic on pregnancy and pregnancy loss care here: https://ow.ly/1MMV50TFz1T Thank you again to the almost 600 people who courageously shared their experiences with us to inform the inquiry and to try to ensure that lessons are learned for the future. #CovidInquiry #Covid19 #PregnancyLoss

🌺 It’s Black Baby Loss Awareness Week and we are grateful to share this post from Instagram Tommy's “Our babies are more than a statistic.” Why do we need Black Baby Loss Awareness Week? This week is Black Baby Loss Awareness Week, founded by Tommy’s midwife midwife_alicia. The week exists to raise awareness in Black communities of the support they can access during and after pregnancy and loss. Unfortunately, Black women and birthing people are at higher risk of pregnancy complications and loss compared to White women. This includes a higher risk of stillbirth, miscarriage and postnatal depression. But, Black families are the least likely to access support or treatment after pregnancy. Compared to White parents, they are: - more than twice as likely to have a stillbirth, - 40% more likely to have a miscarriage, - more likely to have postnatal depression, - the least likely to access support or treatment after birth. This is why, during Black Baby Loss Awareness Week, @blackbabylossawareness will be sharing organisations, charities and communities that provide support for Black families after loss. Here at Tommy’s, we believe everyone deserves the same opportunity for a safe pregnancy and birth. We know Black families are at a higher risk of complications, and want to do more to help. That’s why we launched our helpline for Black and Black Mixed-Heritage women and birthing people. And since then, our midwives have taken almost 500 calls from families in need of support: “I just wanted to say thank you so much for your lovely email. In sad moments i have referred back to this and re-read your words and it really helps.” Our dedicated helpline is available on weekdays, 9-5, and you can book a slot via the link in our bio. Our support resources are also available 24/7 at tommys.org. #BabyLoss

After the loss of a baby during pregnancy or infancy, the innocence of pregnancy is gone. A subsequent pregnancy is a tightrope walk between joy and grief, hope and fear. A rainbow baby is loved and hoped for, and yet, after loss, parents know there are no guarantees. While a rainbow baby will never replace a baby who died, they deserve to be celebrated and to honor the family’s journey, never forgetting their precious baby who died. This is why we recognize National Rainbow Baby Day on August 22nd each year: to celebrate the rainbow babies, remember the babies who came before them, and honor each parents’ journey. Learn more about 🌈 rainbow babies 🌈 and get ways to celebrate ⤵️

Amongst the many consequences of teen pregnancy, one of the most feared and discussed impacts continue to be the educational repercussions of adolescent motherhood. Studies by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention show that teen mothers are more likely to drop out of high school, with only around 50% obtaining a high school diploma by age 22 compared to 90% of women who did not give birth during adolescence. Teen pregnancy not only robs young mothers of their childhood, but robs them of opportunity. Join us at the Casey Foundation Africa in rewriting the stories of these young women. Donate here: https://lnkd.in/ged3-uUE. Source: The Adverse Effects of Teenage Pregnancy (Youth.gov)

The EPT is one of 13 leading pregnancy, birth and early parenting charities together participating in the healthcare module of the Covid-19 Inquiry. The module looks at the impact of the pandemic on healthcare and we attended the hearing yesterday, where some examples relating to ectopic pregnancy were shared. The aim of the Inquiry is to show how the pandemic and restrictions impacted care through the pandemic. You can listen to some of the Inquiry in this video and find out more about the impact of the pandemic on pregnancy and pregnancy loss: https://lnkd.in/eCmvGntg We understand that the Inquiry may be difficult to watch and remind you that we are here should you need a space to talk: https://lnkd.in/eckH9drV #theept #theectopicpregnancytrust #ectopicpregnancy #ectopicpregnancyloss #ectopicpregnancysupport #ectopicpregnancyawareness #ectopicawareness #pregnancyloss #earlypregnancyloss #BLAW #babylossaawarenessweek #UKCovidInquiry

You know what nobody talks about at work? But nearly everyone we talk to asks us to help address? Pregnancy loss. March of Dimes says 10%-20% of known pregnancies end in miscarriage. Yet we see SO FEW policies to support the mothers and families that encounter this loss. And in situations where loss occurs early, it often leads to women coming right back to work after a half day Dr. visit. Often suffering silently, saying nothing. Usually because a businesses has chosen not to address it, at the very least, in policy. And when loss occurs later in a pregnancy? We've heard numerous stories of a multiple month parental leave turn into a 5 day bereavement leave. If you're making policy for 2025 right now, stop. And make sure you are thinking through pregnancy loss.

Our website has a shiny new look – let us know what you think! We are very proud of our website – it contains a wealth of information about intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) including links to research papers and guidelines on managing ICP pregnancies. We know that ICP is a complicated condition which can take some time to get your head around – time you don’t always have depending on the severity of the condition! Many of the families we support have never heard of ICP until they are diagnosed with it, and we know how important our research-based information is to them. Our website is always available, even when our support services aren’t open. Our webmaster Ian and Founder Jenny have worked incredibly hard on its design and transferring all our content across to get our new site live. The design template was chosen by trustee Natalie Brown who was key in researching the best platform to allow us to update our website and for the team to maintain it going forward. A special mention to volunteer, Vrinda, from Experian who offered her support and design expertise. A new website has been on the charity’s wish list for some time, but it hasn’t been possible to get the experts in due to finances and capacity within the team has been limited. However, Ian, Jenny, Natalie & Vrinda have done a fantastic job of pulling this all together themselves with no extra cost to the charity - a huge thank you to them for achieving this! #SmallCharityDoingBigWork #ResearchBasedCharity #Information #Support #IntrahepaticCholestasisofPregnancy #PregnancyComplications #Stillbirth #StillbirthAwareness #Website #SavingLittleLives

Giving Guide and Event Book 2024 Nonprofit Profile Spotlight: BIRTHRIGHT OF COUNCIL BLUFFS INC Birthright's guiding principle is that it is the right of every pregnant woman to give birth and the right of every child to be born. With that in mind, the organization offers friendship, hope, and resources to women and men facing an unexpected pregnancy. Learn more: https://loom.ly/w-LimtE

Today (19 September) the Care Quality Commission has published its National review of maternity services, focusing on care in maternity units from 2022-24. The report reveals that many women and babies are still not getting the high standard of care they deserve and issues are widespread in units across England. The report states that of the 131 locations inspected between August 2022 and December 2023, almost half were rated as ‘requires improvement’ (36%) or inadequate (12%). Only 4% of services were rated as outstanding and 48% were rated as good. We understand this is concerning for our community due to the high-risk nature of multiple pregnancies. We want to ensure that families expecting twins, triplets or more get the highest possible level of maternity care; we'll continue to campaign for this. Our Maternity Engagement Project aims to ensure that women receive the right level of care for their type of pregnancy, in line with NICE guidelines. Expectants and their families deserve safe, quality care and we will continue to keep advocating for our multiples’ community. We call on the Government to take notice of today’s report and take action by investing in maternity services so that care is improved for all families. To read the full report, go to: https://buff.ly/4dcOREJ