When Your Baby is Stillborn

When your baby is stillborn, expectations, hopes and dreams are cruelly shattered and lives are changed.  Many parents have initial feelings of shock and confusion when told that their baby has died.

No one can take away the pain, but we hope the following information will answer some of your questions, provide reassurance, and be of help to you.

When can my baby’s stillbirth be registered?

A stillborn baby is ‘a child born after the 24th week of pregnancy and which did not at any time after being born breathe or show any other signs of life’.

A stillbirth in England and Wales must be registered in the district in which it took place, normally within 42 days.  A stillbirth may not be registered more than 3 months after it occurred.

Who can register my baby’s stillbirth?

• Parents who are married to each other – If the parents of the baby were married to each other at the time of the stillbirth (or conception), either the mother or father may register.

• Parents who are not married to each other – In order for the father’s details to be entered in the register, baby’s mother and father must attend together to sign the register.  If baby’s father is unable to attend, he may make a statutory declaration with a solicitor acknowledging his paternity which mother must produce to the registrar.  If baby’s mother is unable to attend, she may make a statutory declaration with a solicitor acknowledging the father’s paternity which father must produce to the registrar. Forms for making a statutory declaration can be obtained from any register office (or Registration Office) in England and Wales.

• If information about the father is not recorded, it may be possible for the stillbirth to be re-registered to include his details at a later date.  You can obtain further information about how to apply for the re-registration of a stillbirth from any register office in England and Wales.

• Other people who may register a stillbirth – If neither baby’s mother nor father is able to register, it may be possible for someone else to do so.   The Bereavement Officer at the hospital or staff at your local register office will be able to help.

Where can my baby’s stillbirth be registered?

You should go to an office in the registration district where your child was born. Hampshire is now one unified district.   Therefore for stillbirths that occurred in Hampshire, you can attend any Hampshire Registration Office.  If you are not sure where it is, call one of our offices for advice.

You should go to the register office in the registration district where your baby was stillborn. If you are not sure where it is, call one of our offices for advice.

All Hampshire’s Registration Offices operate an appointment system. The registrar will arrange an appointment time that is convenient to you.    

What if I can’t register in the district where my baby was stillborn?

If it is inconvenient to go to the district where the stillbirth took place, the information for the registration may be given to a registrar in another district. The registrar will record the details on a form of declaration and send it to the registrar for the district where the stillbirth occurred. The registrar who receives the declaration will enter the information in the stillbirth register and post the certificates on to you. If a declaration is made, there will be a delay in receiving the certificate for burial or cremation.

What information is required to register my baby’s stillbirth?

The doctor or midwife who attended the stillbirth or examined the baby afterwards will issue a medical certificate of stillbirth. The person who registers the stillbirth must take this certificate to the registrar who will also require the following information:

• the date and place of the baby’s stillbirth, the sex, the forename(s), if the parents wish to name the baby, and surname.

• information about the father, where appropriate. This will include his full names, date and place of birth, and details of his employment at the time of the stillbirth, or if not employed, his last occupation.

• information about the mother: her full names, any previous names, including maiden name, date and place of birth and usual address, employment before or at the time of the baby’s stillbirth. If married to each other, details of the date of the parents’ marriage, and of any children born  previously.

It is most important that the information recorded in the stillbirth register is correct.  The person registering the baby’s stillbirth will be asked to check the information they have provided very carefully before the entry is signed.

What certificates will I receive?

After the stillbirth entry has been completed and signed, the registrar will issue a Certificate of Registration which provides proof that the stillbirth has been registered. Any names given to the baby and entered in the register will be recorded on this certificate.  You will also receive a Certificate of Stillbirth which is a full certified copy of the entry.  A Certificate for Burial or Cremation issued by the registrar, is required by the funeral director in order that funeral arrangements can be made. If the registration is delayed, it is possible for a certificate for burial  to be issued before registration, provided the stillbirth does not need to be reported to the coroner. A certificate for cremation cannot be issued before the registration.

Further information is available on the SANDS website http://www.uk-sands.org/.