Health Notes, March 2nd 2008, by Sarah Stacey

Penny Lancaster Stewart helps save prem babies

When I ask Penny Lancaster Stewart, 36, why she’s fund-raising for Tommys, the UK baby charity, to support research into premature births, the soft English voice on the line from Los Angeles becomes emphatic. ‘I was so shocked by the statistics: about 140 babies are born prematurely in Britain every day and probably four of those will die. It must be the most heart-breaking thing for a couple to go through. My new little nephew was premature – he’s okay now but he had breathing difficulties in the first few weeks. Tommys’ main aim is to try to halve the rate of babies born before 37 weeks - and I’ll do anything I can to help.’

Among the flood of requests from charities, Penny finds herself most drawn to children’s causes: ‘My ultimate dream was to have a child of my own and I’m a mummy now [Alastair her baby with husband Rod Stewart is 27 months SUBS BORN NOV 27 2005] but it was a very hard journey.’ She has talked openly about her miscarriage over 12 years ago (before she got together with Rod in 1999 CHECK), which revealed a string of health problems including a cyst on one Fallopian tube, another on an ovary and pre-cancerous cells on her cervix. ‘The doctors said that’s probably why my body aborted the baby – it was nature’s way of saying something’s wrong.’ At this point, an excited little voice starts chattering at the other end of the line: Alastair has bounced back from a bout of sickness, bronchitis and ear infection which sent his temperature so skyhigh that Penny and Rod had to take him to the local ER. ‘The doctors were wonderful: it just reminds me how lucky you are to get your child treated. But I know he’s fine now’ she laughs, ‘he’s just had two poached eggs on toast, plus a bowl of cereal’.

According to Andrew Shennan, Tommys professor of obstetrics, although neo-natal care of very early babies has leapt ahead in the last decades – allowing even the tiniest a better chance of life - knowledge of the underlying causes of prematurity (which is increasing) ‘is still much the same as it was 50 years ago’. While conditions such as cancer and heart disease attract huge funding, research into the beginning of life is a very poor relation – ‘both under-funded and under-resourced’, says Prof Shennan. ‘We know that risk factors such as smoking, teenage pregnancy (and 40 plus mothers, though the premature babies are more likely to survive), sexually transmitted diseases and poor diet are involved but we need to investiage and tackle the root causes.’ Apart from the danger of premature babies dying, the main threat is to the immature brain; ‘they’re more likely to have a disability such as learning or behavioural difficulties, deafness, blindness, chronic lung disease, and cerebral palsy as well as problems when they’re older’ explains Prof Shennan.

Penny wants lots of things to help this cause: ‘women should know that Tommys pregnancy helpline (0870 777 30 60) is always there with practical advice; they should take care of their bodies with gentle exercise and a good diet even before they’re pregnant; and kids should be taught how to have a healthy pregnancy in schools.’ And one more thing: ‘please go to New Look and buy a special new Tommy’s pin or a T-shirt: they’re really good quality and great prices. And every penny of the money goes to Tommys.’

To support the Tommy's 'Give Babies a Helping Hand' campaign, which runs through March, a range of Tommy's glittery pin badges (£1) and a Tommy's t-shirt (£12) are available exclusively in New Look stores. Tel: 0870 777 7676, tommys.org

Natasha Wood rolls with laughter

Natasha Wood, 37, suffers from spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), an incurable genetic muscle-wasting disease – she is wheelchairbound and too weak to lift even a pint of milk. ‘Living with SMA is like wearing a very heavy blanket over my body’ she explains. But this sassy, never-say-can’t woman refused to give in to her condition and, as we reported in YOU magazine last summer, chased her dream of moving to Los Angeles and is now a successful stand-up comedy actor. On 30th March, she brings ‘Rolling With Laughter’, her hilarious one-woman show, to Her Majesty’s Theatre, London in aid of the Jennifer Trust for SMA. ‘A year ago I had a dream of performing my story in memory of my brother Johnnie who also suffered from SMA and sadly died three years ago. I promise to make you laugh, well up for a moment – but leave smiling!’For information about SMA, visit www.jtsma.org.uk, The Jennifer Trust for Spinal Muscular Atrophy.

Book of the week: Flying Without Fear by Captain Keith Godfrey (£8.99)

After the recent near disaster at Heathrow, nervous fliers might find this helpful paperback (also a DVD), by a highly experienced training pilot, very comforting. It answers more than 250 questions, including what happens if an engine stops.