The UK registered charity, Vasa Praevia, was set up because every year in the UK, this obstetric condition will affect approximately 555 pregnancies (more than one per day)

In the main these cases will go undiagnosed until birth and sadly, is likely to result in the death of an otherwise healthy baby.

However, this need not happen. If the condition is diagnosed, antenatally by ultrasound, the survival rate is 100%. Antenatal diagnosis and awareness of this condition is key to avoid these unnecessary deaths and try to save little lives.

A few words from my sister who lost her son Jack in 1995 to Vasa Praevia: "I had never heard of Vasa Praevia before it happened to me and my son, Jack. It's not something that is routinely screened for at antenatal appointments, and yet if I had been screened, they may have detected it and he would have lived. Vasa Praevia is when some of the blood vessels grow along the membranes in the lower part of the uterus at the cervical opening. If the condition is not detected in advance, the blood vessels can rupture during labour causing massive blood loss for both mother and baby. This is what happened to me and my son and it was terrifying. I was rushed to theatre by panicked and distraught staff and a crash emergency caesarean section was performed. When I woke up I knew something was wrong because my husband, my mom and the staff were crying. Jack was taken to the special care baby unit. He was born without blood and needed a transfusion. He had been slowly bleeding to death inside me during labour over several hours. He lived for 2 hours with the support of machines. He had suffered extensive brain damage as a result of the blood loss and there was nothing that could be done. His machines were switched off. His birth and death on 19th December 1995 was and remains the hardest and saddest experience of my life. He would be 24 this December. Living with the knowledge that my son would have survived had screening for Vasa Praevia been carried out is a difficult one to comprehend. It's too late for Jack but if we can get the screening part of routine antenatal appointments then babies lives will be saved and parents will be spared the heartbreak of losing their precious baby. Please support Deb to raise as much as possible to support the charity that is working hard to get this screening carried out routinely."