Neonatal death refers to the death of a baby within the first 28 days of life. In the UK, one in 300 babies dies in the first 4 weeks of life and around a quarter of these babies are born at term.

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Many babies who die within the first 4 weeks of life have a congenital disorder or were born prematurely.  In the remainder of cases the cause is unknown or due to potentially avoidable issues that have originated in pregnancy and during labour. Around 500 babies die every year because of a trauma or event during birth that was not anticipated or well managed. Some are stillborn and some die neonatally.  Many of these deaths, when they occur at term, could be avoided with better care.

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Source:

SANDS: www.uk-sands.org

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Office for National Statistics 2013.
Child mortality statistics: childhood, infant and perinatal, 2011 2 Perinatal Mortality Report 2009, Centre for Maternal and Child Enquiries 201