I was sailing through my first pregnancy, swimming 20 lengths three times a week and briskly walking two miles every day instead of catching the tube to work. I was rudely, disgustingly fit and loving every minute! Little did I know that, although the outward signs of my advancing pregnancy showed that I was blooming, the internal story was very different. At 32 weeks I suffered a placental abruption and was rushed to hospital for an emergency caesarean. I nearly lost my son and my own life was in danger. In the space of twelve hours I had become a statistic - I was the one woman in every 100 who experiences the severe effects of pre-eclampsia. I was therefore delighted when babyworlders chose to support our SPARKS fundraising efforts for a research project which aims to identify a protein implicated in pre-eclampsia, which could possibly help with future screening for, and even treatment of, the condition. Even better, we have direct access to this team and will be bringing you up-to-date news of the twists and turns this project is likely to take. Our first report introduces the team at the Maternal and Fetal Health Research Centre, St Mary's Hospital, Manchester, and I think it dispels the myth that research scientists are a remote and uncommunicative lot! Click here

Stephanie Neuman
babyworld, Editorial Director