Neonatal Death

Neonatal death refers to the death of a live-born baby within the first 28 days of life.

Losing a baby is devastating. Many people want to know why it has happened, and there are investigation which can be done. However, it is not always possible to find out why this has happened, which can be very difficult to hear.

To lose a baby when you yourself are still only a teenager can be devastating, and difficult to process what has happened. You need to remember that it is not your fault! 💜

Potential Causes

There are many different reasons why this could have happened. Some of these causes are inevitable, and there was nothing you could have done differently. Sometimes, no cause is found.

Common causes:

Premature birth (before 37 weeks)
- Babies who are born extremely premature have a higher chance of dying. Premature birth accounts for around 3 in 4 neonatal deaths.
- This is typically because the baby's organs and immune system are underdeveloped, which can leave them very vulnerable to life-threatening complications such as respiratory distress, infections, and brain injuries.
Birth defects/congenital anomalies
- This refers to problems with the way a part or multiple parts of their body have formed or function.
- Birth defects/congenital anomalies can impact how well vital functions in the body operate, and problems with the heart, lungs, brain or nervous system in particular can be life-threatening.
Complications during/after birth
- Events that have occurred during or after could have impacted the baby's health, which may have led to neonatal death.
- Examples include the baby's oxygen supply being cut off for too long or physical injuries sustained during emergency deliveries.
Infections
- Newborns have much weaker immune systems that other, so when they do get an infection, it can spread rapidly and be very difficult for them to fight off on their own.
- Some examples of infections which can lead to neonatal death include sepsis, pneumonia and meningitis.

Risk Factors

There are many risk factors which can suggest that some people are at a higher risk of experiencing a neonatal death. This does not mean that it will definitely happen, nor is it the cause of what has happened. However, it can help you understand why you might have been more at risk for this happening to you than others and whether any circumstances can be changed in the future.

The biggest risk factors are:

Deprivation
- Babies born to women from lower-income areas are at higher risk
Ethnicity
- Black and Asian babies have a higher statistic for neonatal death than other ethnic groups.
Age
- There is a higher risk for neonatal death when the mother's age is over 40 or under 20. - As a teenager, you are at a higher risk group for this.
Low birth weight babies
- Low birth weight babies are typically premature or underdeveloped, which puts them at higher risk.

(Tommy's, 2025s)

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