Letter S

Stillbirth

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The tragic birth of a dead baby, the delivery of a fetus that has died before birth.

There is no possibility of resuscitation.

The word 'stillbirth' is a fusion of 'still' in the now-obsolete sense of 'dead' and 'birth' = dead birth.

The distinction between a stillbirth and a miscarriage is arbitrary.

The dividing line is variously set at 20 to 24 weeks of gestation.

Before that time it is a miscarriage (also called a spontaneous abortion).

After that time it is a stillbirth.

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