History Main / TragicStillbirth

* ''Fanfic/BeautifulMonster'': Just like in [[Fanfic/TheRugratsTheory the original theory]], Tommy is stillborn. It deeply affects Stu and Didi, especially the former to the point that he's initially in denial about the loss and making toys for him.

* This trope occurs several times in the ''Literature/EarthsChildren'' series. Justified since the series takes place in the Stone Age, where things like prenatal care are extremely limited or not well understood.

* This is all but guaranteed to occur in the ''Literature/EarthsChildren'' series, which is justified by the fact it's set in the Stone Age and things like pre-natal care are extremely limited or not well understood.

* This occurs several time in the ''Literature/EarthsChildren'' series, which is justified by the fact it's set in the Stone Age and things like pre-natal care are extremely limited or not well understood.

* One young woman of the ''Literature/ClanOfTheCaveBear'' goes into labor and delivers a stillborn baby soon after the Clan finds a new home. Ayla witnesses this, and asks the wise Mog-ur why the baby was dead. This is where Ayla learns that the Clan connect living tribe members with deceased ancestors.

* In the ''Literature/EarthsChildren'' series, [[spoiler: Jetamio]] has a stillborn son due to labour complications. She herself [[DeathByChildbirth dies]] because of the complications and the healer who attends her performs a posthumous C-section to save the baby, but is too late. The double tragedy is utterly devastating for her mate, who sinks into a [[HeroicBSOD deep depression]] and even seems to wish [[DeathSeeker he was dead]] too.

* In the first ''Theatre/MrsHawking'' play, we learn that the title character was miserably pregnant with her husband’s child, but refused to stop her investigations until she was "too damn fat" to continue. It's ambiguous, but thus may have been why the baby was stillborn. Since she never wanted the baby in the first place she had very complicated feelings about the whole thing.

A Tragic Stillbirth is a plotline detailing the fallout and heartbreak after a child dies in the womb. For whatever reason, they ended up dying in the birthing process or prior to labor. While a ConvenientMiscarriage can cause characters great grief, a stillborn baby is far more likely to be treated on par with the DeathOfAChild. This is because a tragic pregnancy is considered a stillbirth if the baby dies after 20 weeks of gestation, whereas a miscarriage is earlier.

* In ''Literature/TheJungle'', Ona's second child ends up stillborn due to labor complications. Ona herself [[DeathByChildbirth dies during the birthing process]], which is devastating for Jurgis.

Compare and contrast to ConvenientMiscarriage, ForcedMiscarriage, DeathOfAChild, PrematureBirthDrama, and LawOfInverseFertility. Can involve DeathByChildbirth, though usually the mother survives. See BirthDeathJuxtaposition and LifeDeathJuxtaposition.

** Shane agrees to co-parent her ex-wife Quiara's baby, but Quiara soon miscarries. In fact Shan'es more upset than she is, as Quiara just says she'll try it again.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'', [[spoiler:Mergo is a stillborn [[EldritchAbomination Great One]] belongs to Yharnam the Pthumerian Queen and is the source of the nightmare. In order to halt the source of the nightmare, you have to slay her, as held by her Wet Nurse.]]

* ''Series/NeverHaveIEver'': Nalini apparently lost a baby, as a flashback has her in tears on the bed with Mohan assuring her their life is great with just one child. Possibly this happened more than once, since they only ever had Devi.
* ''Series/{{Dickinson}}'': Sue is pregnant during her and Austin's wedding, but loses the baby sometime between seasons 1 and 2. It weighs deeply on her over the course of the season, and it's only when she confesses to her old friend Mary that she is able to truly feel the pain. Mary, who suffered a miscarriage recently herself, commiserates with her.

* ''Series/ThisIsUs'': One of the triplets Jack and Rebecca were expecting ends up stillborn. This paves the way for them adopting Randall.

* ''Series/{{ER}}'''s John Carter and is girlfriend Kem lost their baby boy at roughly 7-8 months after he brought her to the doctor for a checkup after she suddenly noticed that she hadn't felt the baby move for a while. After delivery, it was found that a knot had been tied in the umbilical cord, cutting of the baby's oxygen and blood supply.

* In the ''Literature/EarthsChildren'' series, [[spoiler: Jetamio]] has stillborn son due to labour complications. She herself [[DeathByChildbirth dies]] because of the complications and the healer who attends her performs a posthumous C-section to save the baby, but is too late. The double tragedy is utterly devastating for her mate, who sinks into a [[HeroicBSOD deep depression]] and even seems to wish [[DeathSeeker he was dead]] too.

* In ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'', Kyrie's son was stillborn and she coincidentally delivered the same day at the same hospital where her lover Rudolf's legal wife was giving birth to their son Battler, causing Kyrie to secretly resent Battler for years for having the position her own son might have had had he lived. [[spoiler:But in actuality, Kyrie is Battler's biological mother, since Rudolf's legitimate son was stillborn, and he decided to swap the babies.]]

** However, seven years later in [[https://www.deviantart.com/slifofinadragon/art/Finally-Home-Ch-1-pt-2-814319937 chapter 1 part 2]] of Silfofina's latest fic ''Finally Home'', [[spoiler:a young boy appears to Masa and [[LukeYouAreMyFather reveals]] himself to be his and Nobushige's miscarried son, having been brought over to [[HotWitch Kyogoku Maria]], who [[BackFromTheDead revived]] him via witchery. He is then named Tsukitora]].

** Eelfoot was expected to have a large litter of five kits, but only Emberkit was born successfully. The other four were stillbirths. As a result of the tragedy, she coddles her only child.

* The fanfic ''Fanfic/MorticiaIsPregnant'' sees Morticia Addams lose three babies this way.

* ''Fanfic/{{Prerugrats}}'', a fanfiction about the backstories of the cast of ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'', reveals that prior to having Tommy, Stu and Didi had a stillborn baby named Spencer. His stillbirth causes the parents grief, especially Didi, but it's only a portion of the plot. The fic itself isn't a complete and utter DarkFic, although it does have its dark moments.

* In the directors' cut of ''Film/TheButterflyEffect'', Evan and his mother go to a palm-reader, who states that Evan has no lifeline on his palm and hence shouldn't exist. Evan's mother, upset by this, reveals that before Evan's birth she had two stillbirths, so Evan was her "miracle baby". At the end of the film [[spoiler: Evan travels back in time to his own birth and commits suicide ''in utero''. The implication is that his mother's previous children had the same MentalTimeTravel ability as Evan and made the same decision to kill themselves.]]

* In the ''Literature/FairyOak'' series, this happened during Mrs. Windflower second pregnancy, and it's the reason behind her overprotective nature over Titch.