I gave birth to my daughter in May last year who was born suddenly at 27 weeks after full placenta abruption. We are both extremely lucky to still be alive after the occurrence of such a traumatic event. 

Before I gave birth to my daughter I was completely unaware of prematurity and the risks involved and it is because of this event that I am now doing everything in my power to raise awareness.

At each midwifery appointment a pregnant woman will attend she will be given a multitude of leaflets and flyers of information that is essential to know throughout the pregnancy but despite all of this information, nothing raises awareness of prematurity.

Knowing the symptoms and signs of early labour has the opportunity to save the lives of our country's women and children with early medical intervention such as steroid injections being possible if symptoms are discovered early.

After unexpectedly giving birth to my daughter at such a young gestation I feel it is my duty with your support, to act on this event and do everything I can to make this change possible to provide a better future for our country's premature babies and their families.

This issue is largely overlooked in today's society and requires a large amount of attention.