Sands has today welcomed new guidelines from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, relating to the monitoring of small for gestational age (SGA) babies. The newly revised Green-top Guidelines recommend that women who have or develop major, or multiple minor, risk factors should be referred for serial ultrasound measurement of fetal size and wellbeing.

Responding to the announcement, Sands said:

We welcome the new RCOG Green top Guidelines for identifying SGA (small for gestational age) babies in pregnancies with a major risk factor or with three or more minor risk factors. Ten babies are stillborn in the UK every day and at least a third of these deaths are associated with a baby being significantly smaller than it should be. Evidence shows that currently we only pick up on 30% of SGA babies with today’s antenatal practices in low risk pregnancies, even though SGA is a major risk factor for stillbirth and neonatal complications. New guidance is a welcome step in the right direction to identifying babies who are at risk and preventing avoidable injury or death.

 At Sands we meet many parents who’ve had a full term baby die around their due date, during labour or shortly after birth. Their baby was healthy in every way except that its growth had begun to tail off late in pregnancy. If the baby’s failure to continue to grow had been identified by midwives and doctors before the baby died, rather than after, they could have opted to deliver in time and saved a life. This new guidance will offer that possibility.

 Click here for a copy of the guidelines.