My Department, in its series of perinatal statistics publications, defines stillbirth as death prior to the complete expulsion or extraction from its mother of a product of conception, irrespective of the duration of pregnancy. A fetal death is indicated by the fact that, after separation, the fetus does not breathe or show any evidence of life, such as beating of the heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord, or definite movement of voluntary muscles. Following WHO guidelines, a stillbirth refers to the death of a fetus weighing at least 500 grammes.
For the purposes of the annual report of vital statistics compiled by the Central Statistics Office, a stillbirth is defined as the death of a fetus at or over 28 weeks gestation.