Introducing Tiny Tickers’ new Head of Training

My name is Anne Rhodes and I have recently been appointed ‘Head of Training’ for Tiny
Tickers – a role that fills me with enthusiasm and gives me the opportunity to put over 20
years of professional Midwifery and obstetric scanning experience to the best possible use.

As a specialist sonographer with a focus on fetal cardiac scanning, I have devoted much of
my career to the advancement of understanding the importance of early detection of cardiac
abnormalities in unborn babies.

We are so fortunate to live in a society that has such advanced medical technology that we often forget that it has taken many months and years of training needed to interpret what our evermore sophisticated computers and images are telling us.

It is like looking at a Picasso – yes we can all agree it is a masterpiece, but only the well
trained eye can see the intricacies and detail of what makes up the whole picture.

It is the same when we interpret scans for diagnostic purposes. These are not just pretty images for keyrings, keepsakes or smartphone messages. To the well-trained eye, there is a wealth of information that can be critical in the survival of the unborn infant.

Spotting a cardiac defect early in a fetus is essential in improving the survival chances of that baby. More than 3,000 babies are born each year in the UK with a serious heart defect,
but over one third of these are undiagnosed until after birth. We have the chance to
massively improve the survival rates of these babies through antenatal detection. We also
support further academic research, and the drive to raise awareness across the medical
community.

It is my personal mission – and one I share with Tiny Tickers – to do everything possible to
help to train NHS sonographers to be able to recognise cardiac abnormalities in the
antenatal period.

Your support is essential – because increasing the survival chances of just one baby has to
be worth more than every painting Picasso ever painted!