How stillbirth is diagnosed
The death of your baby in the womb will be detected on ultrasound scan. When the scan is done, it is possible to see that the heart is not beating.
Sometimes the person doing the scan will ask for a second opinion to confirm that the heart is not beating.
You are entitled to ask for a second opinion or another scan to confirm your baby’s death.
Causes of stillbirth
One of the first questions you might ask is “why did my baby die?”.
Sometimes (in about one third of cases) it is not possible to explain why your baby has died.
You and your partner will be offered tests to try and find out.
Possible causes include:
- Your baby has not been growing properly.
- Complications from pre-eclampsia.
- Complications from gestational diabetes.
- Infection.
- Abnormal development of your baby.
- The placenta separates from the womb too early.
- Problems with the umbilical cord.
- In rare situations, babies may die during labour. This is called intrapartum stillbirth.