Recognising stillbirth as a loss of life and not a baby born without life

Abstract

⇒ Stillbirths and their families continue to be neglect- ed despite several calls to address preventable stillbirths. ⇒ The dichotomy between stillbirth and neonatal death in the quantification of loss does not comply well with the societal burden of perinatal deaths or with the philosophical accounts of death’s individual harm. ⇒ Grief is a natural emotional consequence of attach- ment and loss, whether the loss of a limb, country, employment, marriage or other crucial relationships. We argue that giving birth to a baby bearing no signs of life is grief unlike any other. Grieving for death must be rebalanced to include stillbirths. ⇒ Recognising stillbirth as a loss of life and not a baby born without life is important for the global child survival initiatives to be effective in reducing pre- ventable stillbirths.

Recognising stillbirth as a loss of life and not a baby born without life