In the UK, on average, 17 babies die every day. Six of those babies will have been born alive and lived for a short time. 11 will have died before or during birth. One of the most difficult and important decisions that parents have to take at this traumatic time is whether or not to ask for a post mortem, to help them understand why their baby died.
In this audio documentary, parents who consented to post-mortem, and parents who did not, talk about the circumstances of their child’s death and why they made the choice they did. A senior pathologist explains the need for post mortems, and an Anatomical Pathology Technologist describes the significance of her role in the mortuary as part of bereavement and clinical care.