A stillborn baby is a baby who is born dead after 24 completed weeks of pregnancy. If the baby dies before 24 completed weeks, it is known as a late miscarriage.
Stillbirth is much more common than many people think. There are around 4,000 stillbirths every year in the UK and one in every 200 births ends in a stillbirth. Eleven babies are stillborn every day in the UK, making stillbirth 10 times more common than cot death.
What causes stillbirth?
In almost half of stillbirths, the direct cause of the baby's death cannot be established, although it is possible to identify any conditions associated with the death through a post-mortem. Read more about what happens after a stillbirth.
Ten percent of stillborn babies have some kind of abnormality. Other possible causes of stillbirth include problems with the mother's health or problems with the placenta (the afterbirth that links the baby’s blood supply to the mother’s). Read more about causes of stillbirth.
Help and support
Stillbirth and late miscarriage can be devastating for the parents of the baby and it can also affect their relatives and friends.
Counselling should be offered after a stillbirth and may help parents to cope with their grief, anxiety and other feelings.
There are many support groups in the UK for bereaved parents and their families. Our directory can help you find bereavement support services in your area. These support groups are usually run by parents who have experienced stillbirth or by healthcare professionals, such as baby loss support workers or specialist midwives.
(See getting help for people affected by stillbirth for more information).
