Supporting Families, Preventing Tragedies

Beginnings

AIM seeks to improve the quality and safety of the New Zealand maternity system.

  • Every year in New Zealand, more than 600 babies die during and around childbirth. Many of these deaths are registered ’cause unknown’. More than 100 of these baby deaths each year are deemed to be ‘potentially preventable’.
  • In New Zealand, the Ministry of Health counts ‘live’ babies and ‘dead’ babies. There is no nationwide register for children injured or disabled at birth. Even the most severely brain injured children don’t count as such. It is only recently that the Perinatal and Maternal Mortality Review Committee has begun to count the number of newborn babies affected by just one type of brain injury.
  • In the 1960s New Zealand ranked amongst the top five countries in the developed world for our low infant death rate. We’re now in the bottom five.
  • Before 1996 midwives had to be trained nurses first – now they don’t. However they can now work independently and apart from any medical assistance.
  • You are twice as likely to die as a pregnant or new mother in New Zealand as you are of being killed on the roads.
  • 50% of all pregnancies in New Zealand require medical assistance for the safety of the mother and/or child.

AIM was formed by mums, dads and health professionals who want New Zealand to again have one of the lowest infant mortality and disability rates in the world. To accomplish this we need, at very least, a perinatal database that records the outcomes of every birth in New Zealand. The knowledge gained will help prevent tragedy striking more Kiwi families at what is meant to be a time of joy.

We want a system that will learn from its mistakes. We want a system that will ensure that everything is done right, every time. We want every child and every mother to have the birth and future they deserve.

Many aspects of our current system work well. It’s time to ensure it all does.

Add your voice to the call for change in the New Zealand maternity system.

Help us support those already affected, and help prevent the preventable.

 

 

Red Flags

        RED FLAGS

  • Lack of monitoring
  • “Normalising” the abnormal
  • Lack of action/delay in getting emergency care
  • Going over due date
  • Failure to progress in labour
  • Meconium-stained liquor (waters)
  • Lengthy handover during emergency
  • Inconsistent reporting and documentation
  • Your concerns being ignored

    Click here to read more about common warning signs

Disclaimer:

The content of this website is offered for information purposes only and is not intended in any way to be a substitute for medical advice. It should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem. Always check with your medical practitioner if you have concerns about your condition or treatment. AIM is not responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any form of damages whatsoever resulting from the use (or misuse) of information contained in or implied by the information on this site.

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