Every parent-to-be in Northern Ireland hopes that their baby will be born healthy, but sadly:
- Of approximately 24,000 babies born here each year, over 1,500 are born too soon1
- Almost 900 babies spend time in a neonatal intensive care unit each year2
- 80% of babies, who are born alive but die in the first 28 days of life, are born prematurely1
- On average there are two stillbirths every week in Northern Ireland3
- 50% of stillbirths remain unexplained3
- 1 in every 5 pregnancies ends in miscarriage
That’s why TinyLife exists and why our work is so important. As Northern Ireland’s only premature and vulnerable baby charity, we are dedicated to reducing illness, disability and death in babies born here and providing support for families who have been affected by such circumstances.
TinyLife does this through three core activities:
- funding medical research into the causes and effects of premature birth, still birth and miscarriage
- providing practical and emotional support for parents and families with prematurely born babies and those requiring special or intensive care at birth
- providing information to health professionals and parents-to-be to ensure that every pregnancy has the best chance of a healthy outcome and a healthy baby.
For more information on TinyLife’s support services visit the Services section.
1 Perinatal Information Northern Ireland Year 2002 Report
2 Neonatal Intensive Care Outcomes Research and Evaluation (NICORE) 2001/2002 Sixth Annual Report
3 Confidential Enquiry into Stillbirths and Deaths in Infancy (CESDI) 2000-2002
