Why did my baby die? I’m a pathologist. Here’s what I want you to know |
Warning: this article is about stillbirth and its investigations, including autopsies and related procedures.
About six babies are stillborn in Australia every day – an incredibly difficult time for families.
Understandably, they want to know why their baby died. But for one in three stillbirths in Australia, we don’t have a reason, often because the death was not fully investigated.
I’m a perinatal pathologist, a specialist medical doctor and part of the team that investigates a stillbirth. Our role is to try to determine why a baby died, if the problem could recur in another pregnancy, and what might happen differently next time.
Here’s what I want you to know about these investigations, the options, and what happens afterwards.
Read more: What’s the difference between miscarriage and stillbirth?
The placenta is like a diary
The placenta is the diary of the pregnancy and is an essential part of investigating a stillbirth.
In Australia, a stillbirth is the death of a baby in the womb at 20 or more completed weeks’ gestation or a birthweight of 400 grams if the gestation is unknown.
Examining the placenta first involves a visual inspection, then weighing and measuring it. From that, we can see if the placenta is the correct size for the baby’s age and if........