A Federal Government plan for preventing stillbirths could cause more harm than good if not implemented and monitored carefully, a leading specialist in maternal-fetal medicine warns. 

Professor Euan Wallace, from Safer Care Victoria and Melbourne’s Monash University, says some of the government’s ‘awareness’ measures could lead to early delivery of babies, putting them at developmental risk.

The multimillion-dollar Safer Baby Bundle program, launched in October 2019, has several components, including improving management of both fetal growth restriction and decreased fetal movement. 

The government was responding to a 2018 Senate inquiry into stillbirths, which found Australia’s rate had not changed in 20 years despite advances in obstetric care.