Tommy’s Baby Races

Today I want to highlight a really important cause on my blog.

You may or may not know that I am lucky enough to be supported by the lovely people behind Huggies Club; they sponsored me to go to CyberMummy this year, have treated me to some really fun days out with other mums and are kind enough to send me products to try out every so often (plug: our faves are Huggies Little Swimmers and their organic cotton Natural Fit nappies!).

Huggies are currently working with the fantastic baby charity Tommy’s, and recently hosted a visit to the Tommy’s Maternal & Fetal research unit and neonatal unit at St Thomas’s Hospital in London. I had to work last-minute so unfortunately couldn’t attend but I hear it was an interesting and poignent day.

Tommy’s is the only charity in the UK that is solely dedicated to funding research into miscarriage, premature birth and stillbirth. Shockingly, every day in England and Wales alone around 290 women experience a miscarriage, around 149 babies are born prematurely and 10 babies are stillborn. Research recently published in The Lancet found Britain is ranked 33 out of 35 countries in the developed world for stillbirths, a rate that has remained constant for ten years. Experts argue that a large proportion of these deaths could be avoided if mothers receive better care during pregnancy and labour.

The team at St Thomas’s runs a clinic to care for any women who have risk factors for pre-term birth. Their clinic accepts referrals from across the country and provides specialist care to try to prevent premature labour and miscarriage. Around 40 women are seen at the clinic each week, many of whom have had multiple miscarriages, yet 90% of these women leave with a healthy child. These figures demonstrate just how valuable the work is that Tommy’s is doing.

Huggies are supporting Tommy’s valuable work with Tommy’s Baby Races, taking place across the country in September. It’s a brilliant way to raise money for such a worthwhile cause, and if you live anywhere near Cheltenham, Windsor, Northwich, Brighton or Cardiff then go and give it a shot – you don’t need to be a mum.

Visit Tommy’s for more information, and if you can’t make it to the Baby Races you can always donate to Tommy’s online!