The Bonnie Babes Foundation is proud to have funded the medical research of many life saving projects in the field of Perinatal medicine.
The word `Perinatal' means `around time of birth' and indicates that the focus is on the care of pregnant women and their babies, especially those with complicated medical problems. Such problems include miscarriage, high blood pressure associated with pregnancy, preterm labour and delivery, and poor growth of the fetus within the womb. The Foundation has also funded medical research in the field of stillbirth, neonatal death and complications with either the mother or baby following birth.
As the name suggests, the emphasis on Perinatal Medicine is on providing continuity of care from the diagnosis of the complication through to the birth of the baby and the care of the mother and baby in the postnatal period. Through the Foundation's fundraising efforts we are hoping to raise substantial funds to really make the difference for healthier mothers and babies.
Below are just some of the projects Bonnie Babes has funded with the generous assistance of the general public and our sponsors.
Cytokines Research
An important feature of early pregnancy is the establishment of lines of communication between pregnancy tissues and the lining of the womb. These communication pathways play an important role in ensuring the appropriate development of the placenta and baby. The signals that travel along these communication pathways are substances that are produced by both fetal and maternal cells. These signals include a group of factors known as cytokines.
Recent evidence suggests that an early pregnancy loss may be associated with the failure of these cytokine signals or inappropriate signals being sent. By investigating the involvement of cytokine signals in the establishment of early pregnancy and in early pregnancy loss, it is hoped that it will be possible to provide women with better information about the risk of subsequent loss, to develop diagnostic and predictive tests and possibly to discover a means to prevent recurrent early pregnancy loss.
Poor Growth
Fetal growth restriction occurs in as many as five per cent of all babies in Australia today and is the third most common cause of the death of babies around the time of birth. While maternal smoking, fetal infection and pre-eclampsia are some of the known causes unfortunately, in many cases we do not know what causes fetal growth restriction.
Some of the factors that influence fetal growth are the attachment of the placenta to the uterus, the flow of blood through the placenta and the transport of nutrients and oxygen across the placenta to the baby.
Understanding the causes of reduced fetal growth is important because "small-for-date" babies have a greater tendency to develop certain diseases in later adult life. These diseases include hypertension, coronary heart diseases, stroke and diabetes - all of which are important causes of ill health and death in adults and, therefore, of considerable cost to the community.
Providing the best possible environment for the baby will not only ensure adequate fetal growth and health in the newborn period but also protect against the development of diseases in adult life.
Pre-eclampsia
Features of pre-eclampsia include high blood pressure, the appearance of protein in the urine, and generalised swelling of bodily tissues. Pre-eclampsia can effect many parts of the body, including the brain, heart, kidneys, blood cells, clotting systems, and the placenta. When it affects the placenta, the baby's growth and health may be compromised. One particularly feared complication of pre-eclampsia is eclampsia, which is the name given to generalised convulsions associated with this disorder. Each year, 50,000 women die world-wide from eclampsia alone. In Australia, although deaths during pregnancy are rare, pre-eclampsia and it's complications are a major cause of maternal and perinatal mortality.
Pre-eclampsia only occurs during pregnancy. It usually arises in the second half of pregnancy and is more common in first pregnancies. In its milder forms, it can complicate as many as one in ten pregnancies. Its severer forms can affect one in every hundred pregnancies.
The only known cure for pre-eclampsia is ending the pregnancy, which may mean that a baby needs to be delivered prematurely for the sake of the mother's health, despite the fact that such a delivery may jeopardise the baby's welfare.
Pre-eclampsia is a particularly sinister disease because in its early stages a woman may be totally unaware of its presence. It is only by taking a blood pressure measurement and testing the urine for the presence of protein that the presence of the disease may be revealed. The detection of pre-eclampsia is therefore one of the most important reasons for regularly attending a doctor for medical check-ups during pregnancy.
When pre-eclampsia occurs, many women find it hard to accept the diagnosis. This is because they may feel quite well in themselvesand because they may initially believe that such a complication could not possibly trouble their pregnancy. Many women also find it difficult initially to deal with the change in expectations involved, when what they hoped would be a normal, healthy pregnancy suddenly becomes complicated by a serious disease which threatens not only their own health but also that of their unborn baby. Suddenly, much modern medical technology becomes necessary to improve the welfare of both mother and baby. Many tests are required to check on the progress of the disease. Many drugs may be necessary to improve the health of both mother and baby and to slow the progress of the disorder. Inevitably, delivery will be necessary, often either by labour induction or by Caesarean section. It is not uncommon for both the mother and the father to be very confused or frightened by such a turn of events. The father may feel quite powerless and unable to provide the support and assistance he had anticipated being able to give during the course of a normal labour and delivery.
For these reasons, it is important that when the medical emergency has been dealt with, there be an opportunity for a couple to spend time with their doctor so that explanations can be given and questions answered in an unhurried fashion.
Unfortunately, the cause of pre-eclampsia is as yet unknown. It is thought that the fault may lie with a deficient attachment of the placenta to the womb and this may have a genetic basis in many cases.
The possibility is currently the subject of intense research, because it is hoped that a clearer understanding of what causes pre-eclampsia may allow the development of logical treatments to either prevent it occurring or cure it when it does occur.
Fortunately, most women who suffer from pre-eclampsia in their first pregnancy are not troubled by it in subsequent pregnancies, or if they are, it recurs in a milder way. Women who have suffered from severe early onset pre-eclampsia may benefit from taking low-dose aspirin in their next pregnancy to help prevent a recurrence of the disease.
When severe pre-eclampsia does occur, it is usually necessary to lower high blood pressure with anti-hypertensive medication and to prevent eclampsia with anti-convulsant medication. Because pre-eclampsia does not usually resolve immediately upon delivery, these therapies may need to be continued for several days at least after the baby is born.
Premature Birth
Of the 250,000 Australian babies born each year, about 17,500 are premature. A baby born before 37 weeks gestation is called premature or pre-term. Any baby born weighing less than 51/2lb (2.5kg) is said to have a low birth weight. Babies who weigh less than 3lb (1.4kg) are called very low birth weight. The closer the baby is to full term, the greater the chances of surviving. While less than half of the babies born between 23 and 25 weeks survive.
Being born too early can be a major health setback for a child. It may compromise not only mental, but also physical health and development.
There is an immeasurable social and emotional cost to families and staff caring for such infants, and the financial cost of their treatment needs for the Australian community is also considerable, amounting to more than $150 million per annum.
In the majority of cases, the basic underlying reasons why some babies are born early are poorly understood.
A rational basis for preventing the occurrence of preterm labour is therefore lacking.
Fibronectin Report
The Foundation has supported the purchase of Fetal Fibronectin Units in hospitals across Australia. The Foundation funded the testing of these units and the subsequent supply to hospitals of the units. Detecting preterm labour in pregnancy can potentially save a baby's life. Bonnie Babes currently saves the lives of hundreds of babies every year with this vital equipment.
A full description of the study from the department of Perinatal Medicine is published in the Australian and New Zealand journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in August 1995.
For more information about the Fetal Fibronectin Test click here.