Chapter 7
                       DEFINITION OF LIVE BIRTH


Definition of live birth

     Every product of conception that gives a sign of life after birth,
regardless of the length of the pregnancy, is considered a live birth.  This
concept is included in the definition set forth by the World Health
Organization (1):

     Live birth is the complete expulsion or extraction from its
     mother of a product of conception, irrespective of the
     duration of pregnancy, which, after such separation,
     breathes or shows any other evidence of life, such as
     beating of the heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord, or
     definite movement of voluntary muscles, whether or not the
     umbilical cord has been cut or the placenta is attached;
     each product of such a birth is considered liveborn.

     This definition distinguishes in precise terms a live birth from a
fetal death (see the section on fetal deaths in the Technical Appendix of
volume II, Vital Statistics of the United States).  In the interest of
comparable natality statistics, both the Statistical Commission of the
United Nations and the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) have
adopted this definition (2,3).




























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