Miscarriage & Stillbirth

A comprehensive guide with essential medical information and guidance for self care.

Your situation is individual. You may have started to miscarry, you may have found out your baby has passed away through a routine scan, or a genetic abnormality may have been diagnosed. You should seek immediate professional advice and support, especially if you need to make a decision about how your baby is born.

Unfortunately, there is a cultural perception to move on quickly after having lost a baby early in pregnancy. This is unfair pressure that no parent needs or welcomes.

Understanding Miscarriage

In Australia, a miscarriage is defined as the loss of a baby before 20 weeks gestation. 1 in 4 women will miscarry at some point in their lives, yet miscarriage is still a silent and often buried grief for many parents. It is a real and devastating loss which needs acknowledgement, and compassionate support is vital.

Understanding Stillbirth

Over 2000 babies are stillborn each year in Australia. Stillbirth is the death of an infant in-utero and past 20 completed gestational weeks, and it can occur at varying stages. A baby may die in the uterus (intrauterine fetal death), during the second half of pregnancy or during the labour and birth (intrapartum death).

Neonatal death

This is where a baby is born alive, but dies within the first 28 days of life.