Statistics Schmatistics

I was a numbers person. Risks, probabilities  - I soaked them up. That is until we became the one in 200.

The risk factors for stillbirth include obesity, substance abuse during pregnancy (including smoking and alchohol abuse), high blood pressure, IUGR, diabetes etc etc. When one hears the statistic 1/200, one thinks that at the very least, the person unfortunate to be the '1' would have exhibited at least one of the risk factors. Well not me. I didn't tick any box on the risk factor checklist.

A friend of mine is pregnant - she is 'due' at the end of April. I say 'due' because she will be having an elective C-section 2 weeks prior to her due date. She is obese, pre-diabetic, has 3 fibroids (one of which is about 8cm in diameter and blocking her cervix). She also has placenta previa. She has continued to smoke and drink throughout her pregnancy, as well as stock up on soft cheeses, sushi and other off-limit delights. I hope both her and her son will be ok - by all accounts he is thriving despite the odds being stacked against him.


All I can say is statistics schmatistics. No amount of statistical research will ever be able to explain why Grace isn't here, or why some babies are born alive (and even healthy) despite the adverse conditions they face. It does my head in.