Stillbirth
A stillbirth is a baby born dead after 24 completed weeks of pregnancy.
A large proportion of stillbirths seem to occur in otherwise healthy babies and the cause often remains unexplained.
Your baby's heartbeat will be monitored during your antenatal appointments, so any problems will usually be picked up before labour starts.
After a stillbirth, most parents want to see and hold their baby. This is entirely up to you.
As a large number of stillbirths remain unexplained, they cannot always be prevented.
A stillbirth can be emotionally traumatic for both parents as well as other family members. Help and support is available.