A stillbirth occurs when a fetus has died in the uterus. A wide variety of definitions exist. Once the fetus has died, the mother may or may not have contractions and undergo childbirth. The term is often used in distinction to live birth or miscarriage and the word miscarriage is oftentimes used incorrectly to describe stillbirths. Most stillbirths occur in full-term pregnancies.
In Northern Ireland the Births and Deaths Registration (Northern Ireland) Order 1976[3], as amended contains the definition :-
“still-birth” means the complete expulsion or extraction from its mother after the twenty-fourth week of pregnancy of a child which did not at any time after being completely expelled or extracted breathe or show any other evidence of life.
Registration of still-births can be made by a relative or certain other persons involved with the still-birth but it is not compulsory to do so.
- Belfast HSCT - 57% increase in still births between 2011-12
- Northern HSCT - 93% increase in still births between 2011-12
- South Eastern HSCT - 5% increase in still births between 2011-12
- Southern HSCT - 25% increase in still births between 2011-12
- Western HSCT - 41% decrease in still births between 2011-12
- Northern Ireland - 16% increase in still births between 2011-12