What is the current protocol for recording stillbirth?
The registrar of vital records issues a “Certificate of Fetal Death” or some legal record of death for all stillbirths. This is the only record the family is able to receive at this time. Families are mandated by state and federal law to pay for the final disposition, funeral or cremation, of the baby’s body after a stillbirth. The Centes for Disease Control, National Center for Health and Vital Statistics tracks ‘fetal deaths’ (or stillbirths) after 20 completed gestational weeks. However, stillbirths, regardless of the duration of gestation, are not counted in infant mortality data in the U.S.
