Stillbirth - What happens after a stillbirth

After a stillbirth, many parents want to see and hold their baby. This is entirely up to you. You will be given some quiet time with your baby if this is what you want.

You can also take photographs of your baby and collect mementos, such as a lock of hair, foot prints or hand prints, or the blanket that your baby was wrapped in at birth.

If you're not sure whether you want to take any mementos of your baby home, it is usually possible for them to be stored with your hospital records. If your hospital does not keep paper records, you may be given these mementos in a sealed envelope to store at home. This means you will be able to look at them if you ever decide you want to.

You may also want to name your baby. However, not everyone does this and, again, it is up to you.

Bereavement support

You may be introduced to a bereavement support officer or a bereavement midwife. They usually work in hospitals or as part of the local council. They can help with any paperwork that needs to be completed and explain choices you can make about your baby's funeral. They will also act as a point of contact for other healthcare professionals.

Read more about support after a stillbirth.

Finding the cause

You will be offered tests to find the cause of the stillbirth. You don't need to have these, but the results may help avoid problems in any future pregnancies.

The tests you're offered may include:

• blood tests – these can show whether the mother has pre-eclampsia, obstetric cholestasis, or rarely, diabetes
• specialist examination of the umbilical cord, membranes and placenta (the structures that attach you to your baby and support your baby in pregnancy)
• testing for infection – a sample of urine, blood or cells from the vagina or cervix (the neck of the womb) can be tested
• thyroid function test – to see whether the mother has a condition that affects her thyroid gland
• skin tests on your baby

More in-depth tests can also be carried out on your baby to try to establish the cause of death, or if there are any conditions that might have contributed to your baby's death. This is called a post-mortem.

Post-mortem

A post-mortem is an examination of your baby's body and is undertaken by a specialist doctor called a perinatal pathologist. The examination can provide more information about why your baby died, which may be particularly important if you plan to become pregnant in the future.

A post-mortem cannot go ahead without your written consent and you will be asked if you want your baby to have one. The procedure can involve tests such as examining your baby's organs in detail, looking at blood and tissue samples, and carrying out genetic testing to see whether your baby had a genetic disease (a disorder resulting from changes, or mutations, in an individual's DNA).

The healthcare professional who asks for your consent will explain the different options so you can decide whether you want your baby to have a post-mortem and, if you do, which tests you want the perinatal pathologist to carry out.

Registering a stillbirth

By law, stillborn babies have to be formally registered. In England and Wales, this must be done within 42 days of your baby's birth, and in Scotland within 21 days.

In Northern Ireland, you don't have to register a stillbirth but you can if you want to, as long as it is within one year of the birth. 

Once the stillbirth has been registered you cannot change your baby's name.

See the GOV.UK website for more information about registering a stillbirth.

Follow-up

You will usually have a follow-up appointment to check your health and discuss the results of the tests and post-mortem (if these are carried out) a few weeks after you leave hospital.

This appointment is also a good opportunity to talk with your doctor about possible future pregnancies. For example, you may want to ask about the chances of having another stillbirth and any measures you could take to reduce the risk.

Before attending this appointment, you may find it helpful to write down any questions you have for your doctor.