Quick Answer: What Is A Stillborn Baby?

Stillbirth is the delivery, after the 20th week of pregnancy, of a baby who has died.

Loss of a baby before the 20th week of pregnancy is called a miscarriage.

A baby is stillborn in about 1 in 200 pregnancies.

Most women who have a stillbirth will be able to have a healthy baby in their next pregnancy.

What causes a baby to be stillborn?

The Most Common Known Causes of Stillbirths Include:

Placental Problems: Women with placental abruption, or a pregnancy-related form of high blood pressure called preeclampsia or pregnancy induced hypertension, have twice the risk of abruption or stillbirth as unaffected women.

Can a stillborn baby survive?

Most stillborn babies are lost when they are still in the womb. Most babies recover well, but very rarely, shoulder dystocia can result in a baby being stillborn . Another rare cause of loss is problems with the umbilical cord and resulting loss of oxygen to the baby.

What is the difference between a miscarriage and a stillbirth?

Both miscarriage and stillbirth describe pregnancy loss, but they differ according to when the loss occurs. In the United States, a miscarriage is usually defined as loss of a baby before the 20th week of pregnancy, and a stillbirth is loss of a baby after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

What is a stillborn child?

Stillbirth is typically defined as fetal death at or after 20 to 28 weeks of pregnancy (depending on the source). It results in a baby born without signs of life. The term is in contrast to miscarriage, which is an early pregnancy loss, and live birth, where the baby is born alive, even if it dies shortly after.

How can I prevent a stillbirth?

It’s not possible to prevent every stillbirth. But we do know that certain factors increase the risk, and there are simple things you can do to reduce these risks.

• Healthy eating.
• Foods to avoid.
• Drinking alcohol while pregnant.
• Exercise.
• Vitamins and supplements.
• Stop smoking.
• Your baby’s movements.
• Sex in pregnancy.

Can your baby die in the womb without you knowing?

However, unfortunately some babies do die, sometimes without warning and despite women doing all the right things. Some babies die in the uterus (womb) before they are born (called an intra-uterine fetal death).

Photo in the article by “Pixabay” https://pixabay.com/photos/stillborn-stillborn-baby-stillbirth-2222602/