1. Project Partnership This project is a partnership between Phoenix 2 (a dynamic consortium of women from SI Clubs, and others, working together virtually) and Professor Michael Crawford, from Imperial College Obstetrics & Gynaecology at Chelsea & Westminster Hospital, who is also a Founder Trustee of the Mother and Child Foundation. The project aim in the long term is to help young women in the UK produce healthier babies. Background * see FAO and WHO Expert Consultation 1978 Research suggests that the reasons are: inadequate nutrition arising from poor diet and lifestyle, and that in spite of the plethora of information that is available in GP surgeries, libraries and on the TV, some groups of women are unable to access or understand this information for various reasons which might be low income, language difficulty, literacy level and cultural prohibitions. (see back page for our approach to investigating and tackling this project…) Issues to be addressed The issues that need to be addressed and which justify this project are: Poor pre-conceptual maternal - foetal nutrition, before and during pregnancy, is a risk factor for low birth weight and adverse pregnancy outcomes; Low birth weight is the most predictive factor for chronic disease in later life, anti-social behaviour, poor education achievement, and mental disorder; Despite the advances in science and medicine, the prevalence of low birth weight in the UK has risen since the 1950s; Mental ill health has now risen to cost more than any other burden of ill health at £105 billion in 2010; The rise in mental ill health is mainly in children and represents the most serious threat to future health and prosperity.

2. Further project stages Depending on the feedback and learning from the previous stages: 4.Working with selected groups of newly pregnant women. We will use the currently available information (government websites and others) to create an attractive and accessible workbook that is a record of practice and outcomes throughout the pregnancy; 5.After evaluating the pilot projects, we will modify our input and replicate stages 2, 3 and 4 country wide via the Soroptimist network; 6.We will consider modifying the resource pack for use in schools at a later stage. Better Babies project An education initiative for mothers-to-be from Phoenix 2 A consortium of dynamic women working virtually Project stages We have planned several activities for supporting mothers- to- be. 1.Lobbying to get health, nutrition and hygiene back on to the national curriculum, from pre-school to the end of secondary education, and into medical schools; 2.An awareness raising pilot project about the issues around low birth weight, causes and consequences, in 4 areas: Glasgow, Ipswich, Hounslow, and Southampton; 3. Establishing Focus groups in those areas to explore with new mothers what advice and information they received and how helpful it was, and work with them to find the best ways to communicate to them and their small children, providing evidence based knowledge. http://www.phoenixv2.co.uk/