Tommy's

Tommy's fund research into pregnancy problems, and provides information to parents. We believe it is unacceptable that one in four women lose a baby during pregnancy and birth.

When a pregnancy fails or a baby dies, the families affected can be devastated and often have a desperate need to know why. Frustrated at the lack of research that meant they could rarely answer this question, two obstetricians working in the maternity unit at St Thomas' Hospital in London were inspired to start fundraising for more research into pregnancy problems.

We fund three research centres in the UK, including St Thomas' in London, St Mary’s in Manchester and the recently established Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh, which focus their research efforts on different issues relating to pregnancy.

We also feel it's important to raise awareness of the facts and to provide free, accurate and up-to-date information for medical professionals and parents-to-be.

This includes a dedicated telephone midwife service, a comprehensive website and free books and leaflets dedicated to promoting health in pregnancy and pre-pregnancy.

Tommy's PregnancyLine is there to help mums-to-be, their partners, family members and friends, and also health professionals looking for specialist advice.

Our experienced midwives specialise in advice on healthy lifestyle choices, and can help you with issues such as what to eat in pregnancy, or quitting smoking. We are also there to help if you have suffered a pregnancy loss by providing counselling and advice about care and treatment, including how you can plan for your next pregnancy.

Miscarriage is more common than you may realise. The majority of miscarriages happen before others, and sometimes even the mother herself, are aware of the pregnancy.

You may hear miscarriages described as either ‘early’ or ‘late’. An ‘early miscarriage’ may happen until 12 weeks of pregnancy. A ‘late miscarriage’ may occur between weeks 12 to 24 of pregnancy. A stillbirth is the death of a baby during pregnancy or labour after 24 weeks of pregnancy. A miscarriage is the loss of a baby from the date of a missed period up to 24 weeks of pregnancy

This service is open Mondays to Fridays, 9am to 5pm. We aim to respond to all email enquiries within five working days, although if we are very busy, this may take a little longer. If you have an urgent pregnancy concern, always contact your local labour ward for advice.