Who We Are
There are more than 3,000 stillbirths in Canada each year according to Statistics Canada. That’s 8.4 stillbirths every day. According to the World Health Organization, the late stillbirth (28+ weeks) rate in Canada is 3.1 per 1,000 births, and has been stagnant for more than 20 years, while the rate in the Netherlands decreased by 52% to reach 1.8 per 1,000.​
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On February 23, 2021, a petition of 726 signatures was presented to the House of Commons of Canada to ask the government to take action to end preventable stillbirths in our country. The Canadian Collaborative for Stillbirth Prevention (CC4SP) was created to bring individuals and organizations together to call on the Government of Canada to enact the recommendations of the petition.
Mission
Our mission at CC4SP is to lobby the federal government to follow the lead of countries such as the United Kingdom, Scotland, the Netherlands and Australia to end preventable stillbirths in our country.
The Steps
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Create a national committee to study stillbirth in Canada as a public health issue and to make recommendations to reduce stillbirths.
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Once formed, the national committee will develop and implement a national action plan to reduce stillbirths.
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Launch a national awareness campaign to inform pregnant individuals of the risks of stillbirths and the importance of fetal movement monitoring during the third trimester.
Goals
To reduce stillbirths in Canada by at least 30% by 2030
To reduce disparities in stillbirth rates between population groups
To raise community awareness and understanding of stillbirth
To ensure high quality bereavement care and support is available to families who experience stillbirth
To ensure financing for research into stillbirth prevention and quality data collection
In Memory of Little Judith
The CC4SP is dedicated to the memory of Little Judith, born still on September 18, 2012, at 38 weeks of pregnancy. She is the daughter of Nadine Belzile, one of the co-founders of the CC4SP. Little Judith died of asphyxia following a Group B Strep infection of the placenta, which cut off oxygen to her.
The saddest part of this story is that Little Judith could have been easily saved. Indeed, like many mothers having experienced a stillbirth, Nadine felt a reduction in the movements of her baby in the days preceding her death. Not knowing what to do or the significance of a baby’s movements during the third trimester, Nadine waited a few days to talk to her doctor during a planned medical checkup.
The doctor listened to a few heart beats and said it was normal for babies to move less at the end of the pregnancy since they are preparing themselves for delivery or because they run out of room to move. This is a persistent myth that can prevent mothers from receiving appropriate care for their babies when they feel reduced movements during the third trimester of pregnancy.
Two days later, Nadine can’t feel her baby move. She makes her way to the hospital’s maternity unit, but it was already too late: Little Judith’s heart had stopped beating.
Meet the Founders
Executive Director, Baby's Breath
