Stillbirth Essay

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Pregnancy loss - Stillbirth Stillbirth happens when the fetus dies in the uterus and is born dead. “Fetal deaths whose birth weight is over 12.5 oz or those more than 20 weeks of gestation” and the mother might still have contractions and has to undergo childbirth There may be no symptoms for stillbirth. If the mother experiences degreased movement of the baby or is at risk of a stillbirth, the doctor may arrange tests like ultrasound or CTG to check the baby. Vaginal bleeding, especially during the second half of pregnancy, may mean that there’s something wrong with the baby. When stillbirth happens it affects the whole family. It might cause depression especially for the mom but also the dad and their families. It’s a loss of one life and is hard for everyone. Fortunately there are many support groups that they can attend and share their thoughts. There is many possible causes for stillbirth and a large amount of the causes of stillbirth remain unknown. Most common causes: placental problems, other birth defects, growth restriction, infections, umbilical cord accidents. Some factors that may add the mother’s risk of stillbirth are women over 35 years old, malnutrition, smoking ,alcohol and drug abuse, inadequate prenatal care and African-American ethnicity. Stillbirth can be caused by genetic or environmental defects. Diagnosing of a stillbirth happens when the mother feels decreased movement or other symptoms and goes to the doctor.The time of the diagnosis depends usually on the mother, because if she becomes worried of her baby and goes to check it. When the mother comes to the doctor the doctors can do an ultrasound, Non-Stress test (NST) or CTG to the mother to check the baby. The ultrasound can confirm if the baby has died and in some cases they can determine even the cause. With ultrasound they use sound waves to take a picture of the fetus,

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