Oxfordshire Bereavement Guide | Page 10

REGISTERING A STILLBIRTH What do you need to do to register a stillbirth, either inside or outside Oxfordshire? How is a stillbirth defined? A stillborn child is legally defined as a child born after the 24th week of pregnancy who did not, at any time after being born, breathe or show any other signs of life. If you live outside Oxfordshire or if the stillbirth occurs outside Oxfordshire There is a facility to register a stillbirth by declaration. This enables you to make a declaration to a Registrar in your local Registration Office and does not depend on where you live, or where the event took place. Please note that registration by declaration does result in a delay in the issue of the document needed for the funeral arrangements. When a child is stillborn, a doctor or midwife will issue a medical certificate of stillbirth. The person who registers the stillbirth must take this certificate to the Registrar. Every stillbirth in England or Wales must be registered in the district in which it takes place. If the stillbirth occurs in Oxfordshire You will be able to make an appointment to attend any of the Registration Offices in the county. Who can register a stillbirth? Parents married to each other If the parents of the child were married to each other at the time of the stillbirth (or conception), either the mother or the father may register. Parents not married to each other If the parents were not married to each other at the time of the stillbirth (or conception), information about the father may be entered in the register only in th