Plans to routinely offer all pregnant women a scan to detect fetal abnormalities should not take years to implement, a leading obstetrician has said.

A lack of knowledge about the risk factors and causes of stillbirth has led to calls for improved public health initiatives and antenatal education to enhance care and monitoring during pregnancy.

A smart phone app for continuous monitoring of foetal heartbeat and the increased risk of stillbirth in women who sleep on their back are among the topics for discussion at a major conference on stillbirth at University College Cork today.

There is no easy way to tell parents at any stage of pregnancy that their baby has a severe fetal abnormality and may die in the hours or days after birth. But delivering a late diagnosis only adds to the trauma and grief. So say the doctors and parents who spoke to Health Correspondent Catherine Shanahan about the importance of a 20-week fetal anomaly scan.

Unborn babies with conditions treatable in the womb are missing out on fetal therapies because of lack of access to a second trimester fetal anomaly scan at Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH).

Every parent who loses a baby will get the support they need, said the Minister for Health Simon Harris.

Pregnant women attending one of the country’s largest maternity hospitals are exposed to “an unacceptable level of risk” because of failure to routinely offer a scan designed to detect foetal abnormalities, according to the head of foetal medicine.

Dr Keelin O’Donoghue of CUMH has serious concerns about the failure to routinely offer a fetal anomaly scan to all women attending for antenatal care, writes Catherine Shanahan

The trauma of a stillbirth can leave parents afraid to prepare for the birth of a subsequent baby and can damage self-esteem and confidence in parenthood and child rearing.

Doctors endure a maelstrom of emotion such as fear, remorse, sadness, loss, discomfort and anger after delivering a stillborn baby, according to the first research study into the impact of stillbirth on consultant obstetricians.

Parents who suffer the tragedy of a stillbirth are often reluctant to consent to autopsy for fear of further harm to their child — a legacy of the organ retention scandal and negative TV portrayal of the procedure.

Hundreds of people from all over Munster gathered yesterday for a remembrance service for parents and families who have experienced infant or pregnancy loss.

SATURDAY