Possibly the number one scenario that terrifies most pregnant women is giving birth prematurely or worse, losing her child, either through miscarriage or stillbirth. In a lot of cases, such happen for no apparent reason, which is what makes it all the more terrifying.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has just granted the Seattle Children's Hospital Research Institute $1 Million to study ways to prevent global prematurity and stillbirth.

Prematurity claims the lives of over 1 million newborn babies worldwide each year.

It is the leading cause of infant mortality in the United States with over 10,000 babies dying each year. Over 3 million babies are stillborn each year worldwide, and it is believed that many of these deaths are caused by the same factors that cause prematurity. The grant will be used to review current published literature and identify opportunities for new areas of research to reduce the incidence of prematurity and stillbirths worldwide.

Kudos to the Gates Foundation and here's hoping the researchers find some answers soon, answers that will reduce parent grief in the future.