It can be a traumatic time for everyone involved when a baby is born too early. Aside from the emotional upheaval, there is a huge cost to the National Health Service in providing the necessary medical care. The financial cost of caring for a premature baby in a specialised NHS baby unit is around £1,000 each day.

When you remember that around 70,000 babies need some sort of special care every year, and many of those have health problems resulting from prematurity, you start to understand the enormous scale of the monetary costs involved.

Babies who sadly go on to develop long-term problems will sometimes need specialised care for the rest of their lives.

In addition to the strain for parents and the huge challenge for their carers, the financial cost of looking after one profoundly disabled child for the duration of his or her life can be as high as £5 million.

As a forward-thinking charity, Action Medical Research is creating a healthier future for everyone. Although we will still fund work into a wide range of diseases and conditions affecting all age groups, Touching Tiny Lives will give extra impetus towards solving the problems of pregnancy, childbirth and the early years.

Go to the get involved or giving sections to find out how you can help, or make a donation now.