When a child dies before, at or soon after birth

When a baby dies before or shortly after birth, the health care team looking after the baby will provide support and information to the family.

There is additional support available through other organisations, including:

• Sands - with specialised resources for families, friends and children that provide information and support services, as well as sharing of personal stories of those who've had similar experiences
• RedNose - provides a support library for parents, family and friends, as well as peer support from parents who are a few years past their loss, a 24-hour help line, and individual online communities for men and women.

There is a different process for registering the death of a child who has died: 

• before birth, known as stillbirth (generally between 20 weeks of pregnancy and the due date), or
• shortly after birth, known as a neonatal death (generally within the first 28 days of life).

NSW Registry of Births Deaths & Marriages has details of what you need to do to register the death of a baby in the event of a:

• miscarriage
• stillbirth
• loss of a newborn.

You can also find more information about arranging a funeral at LegalAnswers NSW.