The Big Give: Christmas Challenge
ONE DONATION, TWICE THE IMPACT
Fetal Growth Restriction – improving blood flow
One donation, twice the impact
Get your donation doubled for free!
The Big Give Christmas Challenge is the UK's largest annual online fundraising campaign where donations to participating charities are DOUBLED through match funding. This means that for every £1 you donate, Action Medical Research receives £2, effectively doubling the impact of your contribution.
The way it works is that we secure pledges from our supporters and additional funds from "Champions" (generous individuals, foundations, or corporations). During a specific campaign week (1-8 December this year), when you donate through the Big Give website, your donation is matched by these funds, as long as match funds are available.
Getting involved is simple:
1. Make your donation online: Donations can be made via the charity's page on the Big Give site from midday 1 December to midday 8 December. You'll know in real time if your donation is matched.
2. Timing matters: The earlier you donate once the challenge starts (1 December), the more likely your donation will be doubled, as matching funds are limited.
It's a straightforward way for anyone to amplify your impact on Action's vital work to help babies with fetal growth restriction.
Helping babies with fetal growth restriction stay safely in the womb for longer
Fetal growth restriction (FGR) affects around one in 20 pregnancies worldwide. It happens when a baby grows more slowly than expected, usually because of problems with the placenta – the organ that supplies the oxygen and nutrients a baby needs to thrive.
FGR is a leading cause of stillbirth and serious illness in newborns, and can result in babies being delivered extremely early. There are currently no effective treatments. All doctors can do is monitor affected pregnancies closely and advise on the safest time for delivery.
Dr Michael Wilkinson is investigating whether a drug already used during pregnancy could help affected babies stay safely in the womb for longer. The drug is routinely given before early delivery to help a baby's lungs mature – but evidence suggests it may also improve blood flow to the placenta, opening up the possibility of a new use.
If successful, this could lead to the first effective treatment for FGR, improving outcomes for babies and their families.
Millie and Scarlett's story
If the research wasn’t done, doctors wouldn’t have the knowledge that they do now, and the ability to treat tiny babies who are born prematurely or get conditions like NEC. It comes so quick, it’s a shock, and once it’s there it’s too late in many cases. We just hope research will find a way to stop it or catch it sooner.
After an early scan showed that Emma was expecting twins, regular ultrasounds were scheduled due to twin pregnancies being higher risk. At her 16-week scan, doctors raised grave concerns about the babies’ growth. The twins were diagnosed with fetal growth restriction (FGR), which is sadly a leading cause of stillbirth and serious illness in newborn babies. Doctors gave them just a 60 per cent chance of survival.
“They said we shouldn’t even hold out any hope of meeting them. It was brutal,” Emma recalls. “I remember I didn’t want any photos of my growing bump. It was so scary, it was easier to pretend it wasn’t happening.”
There are currently no effective treatments for FGR. All doctors can do is monitor affected pregnancies closely and advise on the safest time for delivery. If the growth restriction is severe, babies may be delivered very early, so it is also a cause of premature birth.
Emma and partner Dan tried to remain positive and had weekly check-ups. But at just 28 weeks into her pregnancy, the decision was made to deliver the twins by caesarean section. Scarlett was born first, weighing just 1lb 6oz, followed by Millie at a tiny 1lb 4oz. Both girls cried as soon as they were born, before being rushed into incubators, too small and fragile even to be held.
Sadly, Scarlett struggled from the start and needed intensive support with her breathing. At three weeks old, she developed necrotising enterocolitis (NEC), a serious and fast-moving bowel disease to which premature babies are especially vulnerable. It became clear that she could not survive, and Emma and Dan had to face the heartbreaking loss of their tiny daughter. “They told us we could hold her until they switched life support off. We held her in our arms, on a cushion as she was so fragile,” remembers Emma.
Soon afterwards, Millie also developed NEC and became gravely ill. A paediatric surgeon operated immediately, removing a small section of bowel. Thankfully, Millie pulled through, and after three and a half months in hospital she finally went home.
Today, Millie is a happy little girl, fully aware of her twin sister. “She knows about Scarlett. When we go to visit her grave, Millie is very sweet towards her and blows kisses,” says Emma.
Moved by their experience, Dan has thrown himself into fundraising for Action Medical Research, which funds research into FGR and conditions affecting premature babies, including NEC. With friends and work colleagues joining him, he’s taken part in two 50km overnight treks and a 300-mile bike ride.
You can make a real difference to children like Scarlett
How you can help
The Big Give Christmas Challenge begins at midday Tuesday 1 – midday Tuesday 8 December 2026.