Vaishali Bamania, who survived womb cancer and underwent an 18-month IVF journey, was overjoyed when she and her husband Rahul conceived a baby. However, their joy turned to sorrow when their daughter, Jaya, was born prematurely at 22 weeks and died the same day.
Vaishali, labeled “high risk” during her pregnancy, says she did not receive additional care or attention despite experiencing unusual symptoms. She feels the lack of care contributed to her daughter’s death.
Vaishali’s experience is not isolated. In the UK, around 13 babies die shortly before, during, or soon after birth every day. She is appalled by the persistent disparities in baby mortality rates among different ethnicities.
“I shouldn’t be more likely to lose my baby because of my skin color. It’s shocking that in 2024, this is still a reality,” Vaishali said.
She and other grieving parents, supported by the charity Sands, have written to the newly-formed government, urging action on these disparities.
Statistics show that stillbirth rates are higher for babies of black ethnicity (7.52 per 1,000 births) and Asian ethnicity (5.15 per 1,000 births) compared to white babies (3.30 per 1,000 births). While the rates slightly increased for white and Asian babies from 2020, they rose significantly for black babies, worsening the inequality.
Neonatal mortality rates also reflect this disparity. For black babies, the rate increased to 2.94 per 1,000 live births, the highest among all ethnicities. For Asian babies, the rate decreased to 2.22 per 1,000 births, while for white babies, it increased but remained lower at 1.68 per 1,000 live births.
Clea Harmer, CEO of Sands, calls these disparities “totally unacceptable” and deeply saddening. She emphasizes the need for maternity improvement programs to specifically target and address these inequalities.
“It sends the most unacceptable message that babies with different skin colors are not seen as equal or as important as white babies. No one wants this message or reality. Addressing inequalities must be a core part of any maternity improvement program,” Harmer said.
