If you had a miscarriage, stillbirth or your baby died after birth

Information on what to do and where to get emotional support if you had a miscarriage, stillbirth or your baby died after birth.

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Loss of a child

For a miscarriage before 20 weeks of pregnancy, you can choose to apply for a recognition of early pregnancy loss certificate.

The birth of a baby has to be registered if the loss was after 20 weeks of pregnancy or weighing more than 400 grams at birth.

The records will show the baby as stillborn, so the death does not need to be registered.

If a baby died soon after being born, both the birth and the death has to be registered.

The loss of a baby at any time during pregnancy or after the birth can be a difficult time for parents and those close to them.

Everybody grieves differently, and there is no right or wrong way to feel.

There are organisations that support families affected by miscarriage, stillbirth or the loss of a child, including:

You may be eligible for compassionate leave or unpaid parental leave if you've had a stillbirth or miscarriage.

Employees can take 2 days of compassionate leave if:

Full and part-time employees can take paid compassionate leave. Casual employees can take unpaid leave.

You may be able to take up to 12 months unpaid parental leave if you experience:

You may choose to reduce or cancel any unpaid parental leave and return to work. This needs to be done in writing.

If the leave has not started, you can cancel it without notice. If the leave has already started, you will need to give at least 4 weeks' notice.

Returning to work is your choice. Your workplace cannot direct you to return to work or cancel your unpaid parental leave in this situation.

You cannot take unpaid parental leave if the leave is cancelled before it starts. In this case, you may be able to take:

In most cases, you’ll still be able to get either Parental Leave Pay or Dad and Partner Pay if:

You may be able to get a one-off Stillborn Baby Payment if: