Registering A Death Of A Child

When a baby passes away before 24 weeks gestation, there is no registration of death. We shall contact the hospital and arrange for a midwife certificate to be completed. This is then used to allow the committal to take place at the crematorium or burial ground. 

The death of a stillborn baby should be registered within 42 days of the stillbirth. Initially the midwife or medical practitioner will issue a medical certificate of stillbirth. This will be sent electronically to the registrars along with your contact details. The registrars will contact you to arrange a face to face appointment and once completed they will issue a certificate for burial or cremation of a stillborn. This document allows the burial or cremation to take place. 

If your baby has taken a breath (irrespective of weeks of pregnancy) or your child has lived then registration of death takes place within 5 days of the medical certificate for cause of death being issued.

If your baby has passed away shortly after birth, then registration of birth can take place before registration of death can happen. This is normally completed at the same appointment. 

Once the medical certificate for cause of death has been issued by the Doctor / GP, this will be sent electronically to the registrar with your contact details and the registrar will call to arrange a face to face appointment with you. This will normally take place in the district that the death occurred. The certificate for burial or cremation will then be issued by the registrar allowing the funeral to take place

• The mother of the baby.
• The father of the baby, if he was married to the mother at the time of the birth.
• The mother and the father jointly if they are not married to each other at the time of the birth.
• The mother or the father, attending alone, if they were not married at the time of the birth, bringing with them an appropriate prescribed legal document signed by the other parent.

• A relative of the baby or child, related by blood, marriage, or civil partner
• Any person present at the death
• The occupier of the house or official of the hospital knowing of the death
• The person arranging the funeral

• The date and place of stillbirth
• The forenames and surname, if the parents wish to name the stillborn child
• The sex of the child
• The parent's name; date and place of birth and occupation
• The mother’s name; maiden name (if applicable); date and place of birth; occupation; address; date of marriage (if married to the still-born child's father) and number of children

• Date and place of death
• Name and surname of the deceased
• Date & place of birth
• The names of the parents and their respective occupations (for a child under 16)
• Usual address

You will be asked to sign the official entry in the register, which you should check thoroughly before you sign

The medical certificate of stillbirth will be have already been electronically sent to the registrars, so you won't have anything to take with you to the appointment 

• Deceased’s Birth Certificate
• National Health Number 

• The Registrars Certificate for Burial or Cremation. This is a document that we need as the funeral director. This will either be emailed directly to us or you will be given a physical copy to give to us, either is fine
• A Certified Copy of an Entry of Stillbirth (commonly referred to as the death certificate) which is £11.00 per copy

• A green certificate which is called The Registrars Certificate for Burial or Cremation. This is a document that we need as the funeral director. This will either be emailed directly to us or you will be given a physical copy to give to us, either is fine
• A Certified Copy of an Entry of Death (commonly referred to as the death certificate) which is £11.00 per copy

The appointment with the registrar will take approximately 45 minutes

If your baby passes away during pregnancy or shortly after, one of the first questions you are likely to ask is why did your baby pass away? 

Sometimes a post-mortem examination can help provide some answers, although often no clear cause is found. A post-mortem may provide other information that could be helpful for future pregnancies and may rule out certain causes. If it is felt that a post-mortem could be helpful, a senior doctor or midwife will discuss this with you and explain the possible benefits. 

If you decide to have a full or partial post-mortem, you will be asked to sign a consent form. When the report is available, you will be offered an appointment with a consultant who can explain the results and what these might mean for a future pregnancy.

If your baby or child has passed away, then the Coroner may want some involvement to ascertain the cause of death either by medical records or by a medical examination. They will keep you informed throughout and advise when registration can take place or if there is a reason to open an inquest. This can all sounds scary and should not delay the funeral once this decision has been reached. An inquest means they want to investigate what has happened further to reach a final decision on what the medical cause of death is.