In the United States, in 2020 about 20,854 stillbirths were documented, which is about 58 babies daily, with many stillbirths being underreported (Gregory et al., 2022). Fetal death at 20 weeks or greater is considered a stillbirth in the United States (Gregory et al., 2022). While US natality data reports fetal deaths, patients prefer the term stillbirth and thus that term is used by professional societies including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (2020).

There have been only modest declines in stillbirths in the United States over the last 2 decades. There are considerable disparities by ethnicity and race. Those with the highest stillbirth rates are non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islands and non-Hispanic Black women (Gregory et al., 2022). According to the United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF, 2023) data, there were an estimated 1.9 million stillbirths globally in 2021 (fetal death at 28 weeks of pregnancy or greater). Approximately 45% of all stillbirths worldwide occur during labor and many could be prevented (UNICEF, 2023). Sub-Saharan and South Asian women in 2000-2021 had the highest rate of stillbirths globally (UNICEF, 2023). According to the United Nations Global Strategy for Women and Children's and Adolescent's Health, prevention of stillbirths is the "marker of the quality of care during pregnancy" (Hug et al., 2021, p. 772). Risk factors for stillbirth include experiencing care based on race, multiple gestation, past obstetric history, maternal age, comorbid medical conditions, assisted reproductive technology, late and post-term pregnancies, fetal growth restriction, placental abruption, and chromosomal and genetic abnormalities (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, 2020). Some of these risk factors are modifiable, but many are not.

Stillbirth is a tragedy, affecting too many mothers and families in the United States and globally (Stillbirth Working Group of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development [NICHD] Council, 2023). Much work is needed to prevent stillbirth and provide appropriate care for families when stillbirth occurs (NICHD Council, 2023). Mothers experiencing stillbirth report high-quality care includes opportunity to express their emotions, a perception of clinical teamwork, and feeling well informed (Cassidy, 2022). Bereavement care guidelines recommended by global professional organizations include individualized care that is sensitive to grieving parents' personal, cultural, or religious needs. "Stress and sorrow may affect how people absorb, process, and respond to information" (Tsakiridis et al., 2022, p. 808). Acknowledgment of grief for the mother and her partner and extended family is essential as are clear communication and collaborative decision making. Providing information, including discussion of birth and death rituals including burials, cremation, and funerals, is highly valued and continuing emotional support over time is vital (Heazell, 2022; Pekkola et al., 2022). Nurses provide the majority of bereavement care to women and their families when stillbirth occurs and thus routinely witness the tragedy they experience

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