There were 3.9 stillbirths per 1,000 live births and stillbirths in England and Wales in 2024, according to the ONS, external.
Seven years after her baby Wyatt was stillborn, Jaz Roberts from Port Talbot is still searching for answers about his death.
She said she reflected on the years of litigation as “horrendous and heart-breaking”.
The 33-year-old added that she felt some treatment after Wyatt’s death was “inhumane”, reflecting on when she asked for mental health support under Swansea Bay health board’s care.
“I was really struggling, I was in shock, I felt really traumatised, distressed,” she said.
“I was told you can’t access the perinatal mental health team because your baby’s died.”
Jaz’s experiences inspired her to set up her charity Better Maternity Wales.
She said she wanted to use her voice to support parents navigating loss because “their capacity just deteriorates”, because it is “exhausting and distressing to be reliving things and having to find a fight”.
“The time and energy I put into advocating and campaigning for changes is purely the time and energy I’d put into parenting Wyatt if he was here,” she said.
Swansea Bay health board said they were “very sorry to hear of Jazzmin’s concerns regarding the standard of care she received”, adding that “would welcome the opportunity to discuss these concerns directly with her” in future.
In June, the National Bereavement Care Pathway (NBCP) Cymru, external was launched providing healthcare professionals in Wales with nationally recognised practical guidance when caring for a bereaved family.
“We’ve got bereavement midwives working across Wales but often there is only one per health board,” said Julie Richards, director of the Royal College of Midwives Cymru.
“It’s a very small, finite resource for what’s needed at the moment.”
Julie said that bereavement midwives offered “good, compassionate care” for parents going through the review process, as well as those who return for subsequent pregnancies which can often be traumatising.
The Welsh government said it was considering the call for national targets to reduce stillbirths and neonatal deaths as part of “wider work to improve maternity and neonatal safety and outcomes”.
“Our National Bereavement Care Pathways provide a clear national approach to the care and support families should receive following pregnancy and baby loss, and we are continuing to work with health boards, NHS Wales and Sands Cymru to support their consistent implementation across Wales,” it said.