It is uncommon for babies who are full term to die before birth. Stillbirth has not been eliminated even with modern obstetrics.  Today's blog discusses a couple of the causes of a stillbirth which is based on our experience in handling these cases.

Some Causes

1. Women with high blood pressure-High blood pressure can interfere with the blood flow and oxygen to the baby. High blood pressure must be monitored closely so that stillbirth does not happen.

2.Placental abruptions-In some cases, the placenta comes off the wall of the uterus slowly. The placenta and the cord provide the baby with oxygen and nutrients. If the placenta comes off the uterine wall, the baby can lose oxygen and die after several minutes.

3. Cord accident-This is less common but there can be problems with the cord such as a knot in it which interferes with blood flow and oxygen to the baby

How can doctors check for problems?

There are various tests which are used.  Many women are familiar with a sonogram which is a picture of a baby. Sonograms are helpful to see if a baby is moving.

More sophisticated tests such as biophysical profiles (BPP) can be used to determine the health of a baby.

Checking the growth of a baby to make sure that the baby is getting the right amount of nutrients to grow (this will be a topic for another blog).

What can moms do?

Keep alert as to your baby's movements. If you believe that the baby has not been as active, you should call your doctor. A doctor can recommend methods to get your baby more active.  You can always go to the hospital where there will be more sophisticated tests which I discussed above.

Stillbirth is devastating when it happens.  In some cases, but not in all, stillbirths are caused by medical malpractice.  If you suspect that the loss of your baby was due to a medical mistake, please call us toll free at 1-800-299-HURT. Or you can email us at [email protected]. We also encourage you to fill out the contact form on this page or any contact form on the website.