If a child is born at 24 weeks gestation or later but is not considered medically alive at birth, it is called stillborn. According to U.S. law, every stillbirth must be reported, within six weeks of the birth, to the state where it occurred.
In the event of a stillbirth, either the deceased child’s parents, the hospital, or the birthing center must register the birth. However, if the baby was born medically alive but died shortly after the birth, then death must be registered within 5 business days. In this case, the birth and the death can be registered simultaneously.