Stillbirth - How a stillbirth is confirmed

Your baby's wellbeing will be monitored during your antenatal appointments, so any problems will usually be picked up before labour starts.

If it's suspected that your baby may have died, cardiotocography (CTG) or an ultrasound scan will be carried out to check your baby's heartbeat. A doctor will usually be asked to confirm that the baby has died.

Sometimes, after the baby's death has been confirmed, a mother may still feel her baby moving. This can happen when the mother changes position and is called passive movement. In this case the mother may be offered another ultrasound scan.

Finding out your baby has died is devastating. You should be offered support and your options explained to you. If you are alone in hospital, you can ask the staff to contact someone close to you and ask them to come in to be with you.

Read more about getting help after a stillbirth.

Giving birth

If a baby dies before labour starts, the mother is usually offered medication to start labour. This is safer for the mother than having a caesarean section.

If there is no medical reason for the baby to be born straight away, the mother may decide to wait for labour to start naturally. This decision doesn't usually need to be made immediately and it may be possible to go home for a day or two first.

Natural labour

If the mother decides to wait for labour to begin naturally, she will need regular blood tests after 48 hours.

Waiting for labour to begin naturally also increases the chance of the baby deteriorating in the womb. This can affect how the baby looks when he or she is born, and can make it more difficult to find out what caused the death. 

Induced labour

If the health of the mother is at risk, labour is nearly always induced using medication. This may been done immediately if:

• the mother has severe pre-eclampsia, a condition that causes high blood pressure
• the mother has a serious infection
• the bag of waters around the baby (the amniotic sac) has broken

Labour can be induced by inserting a pessary tablet or gel into the vagina, or by swallowing a tablet. This usually takes some time to work. Most women go home during this time, with an appointment to come back to the hospital 24 to 36 hours later. Sometimes, medication is given through a drip into a vein in the mother's arm.

Caesarean

In a very few cases, a caesarean section may be necessary. A caesarean is a surgical procedure to deliver the baby through a cut in the mother's abdomen (tummy).