Live birth (human)

For organisms where the embryo develops inside the mother as opposed to an egg, see viviparity.

In human reproduction, a live birth occurs when a fetus, whatever its gestational age, exits the maternal body and subsequently shows any sign of life, such as voluntary movement, heartbeat, or pulsation of the umbilical cord, for however brief a time and regardless of whether the umbilical cord or placenta are intact.<ref>World Health Organization. International statistical classification of diseases and related health problems. Tenth Revision. Vol 2. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization, 1993:129.</ref>

This definition of the term "live birth" was created by the World Health Organization in 1950 and is chiefly used for public health and statistical purposes. Whether the birth is vaginal or by Caesarean section, and whether the neonate is ultimately viable, is not relevant to this statistical definition. However, the term "live birth" was in common use long before 1950.<ref>Search full view Google Books for "live birth" prior to the year 1950.</ref>

In the United States, the term "born alive" is defined by federal statute.<ref>

1 U.S. Code § 8 - "Person", "human being", "child", and "individual" as including born-alive infant(link). LII / Legal Information Institute.

</ref> In the United States, live births are recorded on a U.S. Standard Certificate of Live Birth, also known as a birth certificate.<ref>

NVSS - Revisions of the U.S. Standard Certificates and Reports(link). www.cdc.gov.

2017-08-30.

Accessed 2018-10-23.

</ref> The United States recorded 3.95 million live births in 2016.<ref>Martin JA, Hamilton BE, Osterman MJK, Driscoll AK, Drake P. Births: Final data for 2016. National Vital Statistics Reports; vol 67 no 1. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2018.[1]</ref>

Some women have chosen to release online videos of the live births of their infants.<ref>

This woman is livestreaming the birth of her child on Facebook(link). {{{website}}}.

9 February 2017.

</ref><ref> Spangler, Todd. TLC Broadcasts Live Birth on Facebook(link). {{{website}}}.

24 June 2016.

</ref><ref> Woolf, Nicky. The miracle of live: man uses Facebook Live to stream his child's birth(link). {{{website}}}.

17 May 2016.

</ref> There is one case report of a woman having a live birth derived from a frozen embryo obtained before the woman began cancer treatment.<ref>,

 Live birth after the transfer of human embryos developed from cryopreserved oocytes harvested before cancer treatment, 
 Fertility and Sterility, 
 
 Vol. 87(Issue: 6),
 pp. 1469.e1–4,
 DOI: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2006.07.1546,
 PMID: 17418837,</ref>

See also

• Childbirth
• Perinatal death
• Stillbirth
• Intrapartum death
• Neonatal death
• Abortion
• Elective abortion
• Anomalous pregnancy
• Miscarriage
• Maternal death
• Born alive rule

References

<references />

External links

• Fossil reveals oldest live birth BBC News 28 May 2008

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