Australian Preterm Birth Prevention Alliance

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Australian Preterm Birth Prevention Alliance

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The Australian Preterm Birth Prevention Alliance is a national partnership aiming to safely lower the rate of preterm and early term birth.

20/10/2026

💜 Meet Yasmine, one of our wonderful Lived Experience Collective members!

Yasmine is helping ensure the voices and experiences of women and families are at the heart of the Every Week Counts National Preterm and Early Term Birth Prevention Program.

Through its Lived Experience Collective (LEC), Every Week Counts brings together people with personal experiences of pregnancy, preterm or early term birth and maternity care to help shape the program's resources, communications and activities.

And now, we're inviting new members to get involved!

You don't need to be a health professional or researcher. Your lived experience is your expertise.

By joining Yasmine and other LEC members, you can help shape a national program working to improve maternity care and give every baby the best possible start to life.

💜 Interested in making a difference?

Find out more and express your interest here:
https://everyweekcounts.com.au/get-involved/

15/10/2026

💜 Remembering Leo | Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day 💜

Today, 15 October, we join families across Australia and around the world in remembering the babies whose lives were far too short, but whose impact will last forever.

Among them is Leo Malivoire, born at just 26 weeks, weighing only 948 grams. Leo spent nine precious days with his parents, Melissa and Matthew, before sadly passing away.

Leo's story is a powerful reminder of the devastating impact of preterm birth and why the work to prevent babies being born too soon is so important.

Through the generosity of families like Melissa and Matthew, who courageously share their experiences, we can raise awareness, inspire change and strengthen our collective commitment to improving pregnancy and birth outcomes.

The Australian Preterm Birth Prevention Alliance extends its heartfelt thanks to Melissa and Matthew for sharing Leo's story.

Today, we remember Leo and every baby gone too soon, while acknowledging the enduring love, grief and strength of the families who carry their memories. 💜

🔗 Read Leo's story: https://everyweekcounts.com.au/leos-legacy-the-nine-days-that-changed-everything-2/

Please note, this article contains a personal story of preterm birth and pregnancy loss.

Every Week Counts

09/10/2026

💜 We're looking for new members to join our Lived Experience Collective! 💜

Every Week Counts is inviting people from across Australia to join our Lived Experience Collective (LEC) and help shape the future of maternity care.

Your voice matters. By sharing your experiences, you can help us develop resources, communications and activities that better reflect the needs of women and families, as we work to give every baby the best possible start to life.

We want to hear from people with a wide range of experiences and backgrounds. You don't need to be a health professional or researcher. Your lived experience is your expertise.

🔗 Interested in getting involved, or know someone who might be?

Learn more and express your interest: https://everyweekcounts.com.au/get-involved/

Please share this post to help us reach women and families across Australia.

Tiny Sparks WA Miracle Babies Foundation Running for premature babies

01/10/2026

Almost one year ago, the Australian Preterm Birth Prevention Alliance proudly unveiled Koobidja (“smallest son”), a deeply personal artwork by Bindjareb Noongar artist and midwife, Valerie Ah Chee.

The artwork was inspired by Valerie’s youngest son, Raffy, who was born at just 29 weeks, weighing 1.65kg, and spent eight weeks in neonatal intensive care.

“In addition to drawing inspiration from Raffy’s strength and determination, the artwork honours the support and love from his dad and five brothers, our extensive family support systems, and the amazing NICU staff at King Edward Memorial Hospital,” Valerie explains.

Through Koobidja, Valerie also reinforces the need for culturally safe and respectful maternity care, particularly for First Nations mothers, who experience preterm birth at nearly twice the rate of other Australian women.

Almost a year on, Koobidja remains a powerful symbol of family, connection, resilience and hope. We remain incredibly grateful to Valerie for trusting the Alliance with her story and artwork.

See Valerie’s explanation of “Koobidja” and the meanings of the various layers and elements below at this short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8ELpL5ybOI

Centre of Research Excellence in Stillbirth Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives

10/09/2026

The legacy of The Lancet

The impact of Australia’s world first national preterm birth prevention program continues to be recognised.

The latest edition of UWA’s UniView magazine looks back at the landmark research published in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology, & Women’s Health, which showed that a national, evidence based approach can safely reduce rates of early birth across Australia.

It also tells the Western Australian story behind the national program through Professor John Newnham AM, UWA Professor of Obstetrics and founder and Chair of the Australian Preterm Birth Prevention Alliance.

What began as a pioneering initiative in Western Australia grew into a national program involving maternity services across the country and continues today through the Every Week Counts Australian Preterm Birth and Early Term Birth Prevention Program.

As Professor Newnham says: “Australia is one of the safest places in the world to have a baby. This program has made it even safer.”

A wonderful reflection on the legacy of the research, the people behind it and the work that continues to give more Australian babies the best possible start to life.

Read the page 26 story here: https://www.assethub.uwa.edu.au/api/public/content/35e36ff7b12844f8b2eae3e815303f13?v=5d463830

31/08/2026

👏 Congratulations to our Queensland Alliance Lead, Associate Professor Chris Lehner!

After months of training and fundraising, Chris successfully completed the 42 kilometre Sydney Marathon, joining more than 47,000 participants for this year’s event.

Even more importantly, the event helped raise more than $1 million for Running for premature babies, supporting better outcomes for babies born too soon and their families.

Chris is pictured at the starting line with Running for Premature Babies Founder and Director Sophie Smith, before taking on the gruelling course.

We’re incredibly proud to see one of our Alliance leaders supporting a cause so closely aligned with our own commitment to reducing the impact of preterm birth across Australia.

Thank you to everyone who supported Chris through donations, messages and encouragement.

Congratulations Chris on an outstanding effort! 👏🏅

Every Week Counts

27/08/2026

🔴 Today is Red Nose Day 🔴

Today we stand with Red Nose Australia to remember the babies and children who have been lost, support families living with grief, and recognise the power of research and education in helping save little lives.

Red Nose Day has helped fund vital research, safer pregnancy and safe sleep education, and compassionate support for thousands of Australian families. It is a reminder that every family deserves the very best chance of a healthy pregnancy and a safe start to life.

From all of us at the Australian Preterm Birth Prevention Alliance and UWA Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, we are proud to support this important day and the shared commitment to improving outcomes for babies and families across Australia.

The University of Western Australia

17/08/2026

🏃 DOLLAR MATCH DAY IS BACK! 💙

There’s another chance to make your support go twice as far as Associate Professor Christoph Lehner takes on the Sydney Marathon to raise funds for Running for premature babies.

For Dollar Match Day, every dollar donated will be matched — doubling the impact of your contribution.

Chris is taking on 42.2km to help give babies born too soon across Australia the best possible start to life.

If you’ve been thinking about supporting Chris, today is the day to do it
💙 $25 becomes $50
💙 $50 becomes $100
💙 $100 becomes $200

Every donation — and every kilometre — helps support our shared goal of giving every baby every week we safely can.

👉 Support Chris and double your impact today: https://sm26.grassrootz.com/running-for-premature-babies/christoph-lehner

12/08/2026

Strong leadership creates the conditions for meaningful change.

The success of the Every Week Counts Program has always been driven by a clear vision, strong partnerships and a shared commitment to improving outcomes for women and babies across Australia.

As Co-Chairs of the program, the Alliance's Chair, Professor John Newnham, and WHA CEO, Dr Barb Vernon, continue to provide that leadership; bringing together clinicians, researchers, health services, governments and consumers behind a common goal: giving every baby the best possible start to life.

In their Welcome Message for the 2026 edition of the Every Week Counts magazine, John and Barb reflect on the progress we've made together, the opportunities ahead, and the partnerships that will continue to shape the future of pregnancy care in Australia.

We invite you to read their message and explore the latest edition of the magazine: https://everyweekcounts.com.au/resources-for-women/

07/08/2026

We're proud to see our Queensland Alliance Lead, Associate Professor Christoph Lehner, and Queensland Midwifery Lead, Deyna Hopkinson, presenting "Reducing preterm and early term birth safely – together as a team" at the Stillbirth CRE's Waves of Change 2026 conference.

Their presentation showcases the power of collaboration in improving pregnancy outcomes, highlighting the partnerships, practical strategies and implementation approaches that have helped maternity services across Queensland and Australia translate evidence into everyday care.

It's a fantastic opportunity to share the learnings from the Every Week Counts program and contribute to national conversations about preventing preterm and early term birth through teamwork, innovation and a shared commitment to better outcomes for women and babies.

Best of luck to Chris and Deyna, we know you'll do the Alliance proud!

Address

374 Bagot Road, Bagot Rd, Suiaco
Perth, WA
6008

Telephone

+61864581220

Website

http://www.pretermalliance.com.au/

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