In plain words
Stillbirth is the death of a baby before birth. In the United States, a loss at 20 weeks of pregnancy or later is counted as a stillbirth. Other countries often use 28 weeks, and the definition changes the numbers reported. Many stillbirths have no clear cause, and some have causes in the placenta, the baby's growth, or an infection. A mother may notice that the baby has stopped moving, which is one reason fetal movement is discussed in pregnancy. Stillbirth is a loss, and it is also a medical event that the care team works through with the family. Support is available through hospitals, bereavement services, and peer groups.
The deeper version
Stillbirth is fetal death at or after 20 weeks of gestation under US reporting conventions, and at or after 28 weeks under many international definitions, which shifts reported rates. Lawn and colleagues (Lancet, 2016), in the Ending Preventable Stillbirths series, estimated the global burden and identified modifiable contributors, including , placental insufficiency, and maternal conditions. Reduced fetal movement is a common antenatal signal before an otherwise unexplained late loss. Post-mortem and placental examination are used to assign a likely cause, and a substantial share of late stillbirths remain unexplained.
Where it comes up
- Pregnancy after a lossPregnancy: Mind and Life
- Baby moving less: what to doPregnancy: Your Body
- Supporting someone through lossLoss and Complications
What mothers here say about stillbirth
No one has posted under this term yet.
Sources
- Lawn JE et al. — Ending preventable stillbirths. The Lancet, Stillbirths series, 2016