Maternity hospital to study babies of low birth weight

A WORLD-class research centre focussing on the mother and the unborn baby was officially opened yesterday at the country’s newest maternity hospital.

The Anu Research Centre, on the top floor of Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH), is already involved in a large-scale international research project which involves investigating the causes of low birth-weight babies and pre-eclampsia — a condition unique to pregnancy which if untreated can threaten the life of both mother and foetus.

The Screening for Obstetric and Pregnancy Endpoint programme, which is being conducted by the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at University College Cork (UCC), will involve voluntary participants being assessed by a team of doctors, scientists and midwives.