A stillborn is a baby who was stillborn or died during childbirth at or after 24 weeks of gestation. Until this time, premature birth is considered a miscarriage, the fetus is frozen, and the dead fetus is disposed of as biological waste. The longer the pregnancy, the more difficult it is for a woman to accept the death of a child. Features of the course of pregnancy, types of delivery and the consequences of the birth of a dead child will be considered further.
How to recognize fetal death during pregnancy?
In addition to regular visits to the gynecologist, a pregnant woman is able to independently assess the viability of her child by constantly monitoring his movements. In the first pregnancy, a woman begins to feel the movements of the fetus after twenty weeks, in subsequent ones - after sixteen. From this moment on, you should always record how often and intensively the baby moves. If there isany deviation from the usual regimen is an occasion to urgently consult a doctor. Especially when the cessation or reduction of movement is accompanied by bleeding.
The doctor will first listen to the fetal heartbeat. If it is not heard, the woman will be sent for an ultrasound examination, where the ultrasound specialist will accurately determine whether the child is alive. It may even be possible to find out the cause of the child's death by identifying pathologies that are incompatible with life.
Delivery
After the intrauterine death of the child is established and reliably confirmed, the woman is given a referral for the necessary tests and is prepared for delivery.
If we are talking about a short period, then it will be an abortion, which is relatively easy and painless for most women, since the procedure is carried out under anesthesia, and the woman wakes up already without a fetus.
If the gestational age has crossed the threshold of twenty-four weeks, then the pregnant woman will have to undergo a serious test, physical and psychological. After preparation, the woman will be injected with the hormone oxytocin, which will provoke uterine contractions and the onset of natural childbirth. After going through contractions and attempts, as in the case of conventional childbirth, a woman will be resolved from a stillborn child.
Death in childbirth
Another option is the death of a child during childbirth. Such cases are carefully investigated, as there are many possible causes of death of a child in childbirth. From natural, physiological,for example, the birth of a premature non-viable fetus or having multiple pathologies. To the negligence of the maternity hospital staff, who, with their unskilled actions, or inaction, provoked the death of the baby. In this case, the perpetrators will be punished.
After such tragic events, some parents want to see their child and say goodbye to him. You should not rush to such a decision, a child born much prematurely, or having multiple malformations, can cause great harm to the psyche and fear of future pregnancies. It might be worth talking to a psychologist about it. If parents are confident in their choice, hospital staff should not prevent them from saying goodbye to a stillborn child.
He was born dead: why?
A stillborn child was born in the family, what should I do? First, find out why. A baby can be stillborn for a variety of reasons. They need to be found out. For this, a forensic medical examination is prescribed. During the examination, samples of the placenta and umbilical cord are examined, genetic analyzes and an autopsy of the baby are carried out. It will be difficult for parents, but you need to understand that finding out why the child was born dead is the only way. In addition, research can be useful for the future of the family. If the child was not viable due to genetic abnormalities, then before planning the next pregnancy, it is imperative to consult a geneticist, perhaps there is a defect in the genes of one of the parents that will not allow them to become biological parents, and willbetter consider alternatives.
If a stillborn baby was born due to a random mutation or infection, then after appropriate treatment, you can continue trying to give birth to a he althy baby.
Autopsy
An autopsy is an obligatory item in the study of the causes of death of a child. Parents have the right to refuse it for personal, religious or any other beliefs. The staff of the maternity hospital is obliged to provide them with full information about the procedure, its goals and the results that it can give. You should not think too long, because the sooner an autopsy is performed, the more comprehensive information can be gleaned from it.
Reasons
There can be several reasons for a stillborn baby:
- Delay in the development of the fetus. This may be due to placental failure or abnormalities in the formation of the fetus itself.
- Placental abruption. In the case of this pathology, nutrients cease to flow from the mother to the fetus, and it dies.
- Congenital anomalies of the fetus. They are caused by genetic abnormalities and chromosomal defects, they are usually multiple and do not allow the child to survive.
- Infections and viruses. Sexually transmitted diseases are of particular danger, so it is very important to undergo all examinations and, if necessary, treatment when preparing for pregnancy or at its first stages. This will protect the unborn child from developmental disorders.
- Inferiority of the umbilical cord. Through the umbilical cord, the fetus receives oxygen and nutrients, if it is insolvent, then hypoxia and fetal death may be a possible complication.
- Profound prematurity. Currently, the obligation of doctors to nurse children weighing 500 g or more is enshrined at the legislative level, but due to their immaturity, this is not always possible.
- Preeclampsia.
- Rh-conflict of mother and child, when the mother has a negative Rh factor, and the father and child have a positive one. The mechanism of development of this pathology is not fully understood. For some reason, some women develop it, while others do not. In any case, vaccines have now been developed that must be administered at certain stages of pregnancy and after childbirth, and you also need to regularly donate blood for antibodies.
- Other causes such as hypoxia during childbirth, cord entanglement, birth trauma.
Risk group
No one is safe from fetal death, but there are risk factors to consider:
- If a woman has already had unsuccessful pregnancies and the first child is stillborn.
- Woman suffers from hypertension and preeclampsia.
- A woman has a history of chronic diseases: diabetes, pyelonephritis, thrombophilia, endocrine disorders.
- Serious pregnancy complications.
- Bad habits: smoking, alcoholism, drug addiction.
- Pregnancy is multiple. The greater the number of children, the greater the risk of stillborn children. Why is the hospital so scrupulous about multiple pregnancies? Exactlybecause various risks are increasing.
- A pregnant woman is obese.
- Pregnancy resulted from IVF.
- Too young or old age.
How to warn?
When planning a pregnancy, both future parents need to be examined and, if necessary, treated.
In the presence of chronic diseases, you need to warn the gynecologist about this as soon as possible so that he knows what nuances to pay attention to. If a pregnant woman takes medications, it is necessary to coordinate this with the doctor and, possibly, replace it with safer ones for the fetus.
Be sure to take folic acid from the first days of pregnancy and multivitamins as directed by a doctor.
If you have problems with obesity, weight loss is the best preparation for pregnancy.
Bad habits should also be left for later.
Bleeding should be taken very seriously and not wait for it to go away on its own. You should immediately consult a doctor, it may be placental abruption.
It's good if a pregnant woman has the habit of counting fetal movements every day. This will allow you to notice the slightest deviations from the normal activity of the fetus.
What to do next?
Parents must obtain paperwork for a stillborn child. In this case, no benefits are provided, except for sick leave for pregnancy and childbirth, but it is necessary to confirm the fact of his birth.
Wheregive birth to stillborn children? Parents themselves decide whether to bury or cremate their child and organize the ritual.
If the family is poor, you can apply to the social security authorities for material assistance for burial.
How to deal with pain?
Of course, it is insanely hard for a mother to survive such an event in life. A stillborn child was born in the family, how to live on? Returning to a normal lifestyle is not easy, especially if everything was prepared for the child: a stroller was bought, a crib was assembled, things were washed and ironed for discharge from the hospital. The father of the child and other relatives should support the woman as much as possible, and make the discharge from the hospital as traumatic as possible. It may be better to remove all reminders of the baby from the house, but it is worth gently discussing these issues with a woman and asking her opinion, because she may perceive this as a betrayal.
A man needs to show patience and care, as his wife will be in deepest stress at first. Perhaps the family should see a psychologist. The specialist will help to accept and survive the loss, tune in to the future. The main thing is not to move away from each other and support in such a difficult situation.
What happens to the body?
Rehabilitation of a woman after the birth of a dead child is similar to the consequences of conventional childbirth. In the first few days, the so-called lochia, bloody discharge, will abundantly come out of the vagina. Pain similar to menstrual pain in the lower abdomen indicates a contractionuterus.
The most annoying thing will be the arrival of the milk. The body is ready to feed the baby. You can just wait and be patient until it burns out on its own, or use medication to stop lactation.
Psychologically, it will be easier to lie apart from mothers who have given birth, who will feed and be touched by their children. It is better to leave the hospital as soon as possible if there are no he alth problems.
After 6-8 weeks after discharge, you need to come to a scheduled examination by a gynecologist. He will evaluate how the uterus has contracted, what kind of discharge will be at that time, whether there are any inflammatory processes. If necessary, an ultrasound examination will be scheduled.
The body will fully recover within a year after childbirth, subject to proper nutrition and exercise. Coping with psychological problems can be much more difficult.
If such an unpleasant event as the birth of a stillborn child happened, when you can get pregnant, the reviews are very diverse. It is necessary to consult with a geneticist and other narrowly qualified specialists. But, as practice shows, not earlier than in a year.
