In the UK, on average, 17 babies die every day. Six of those babies will have been born alive and lived for a short time. 11 will have died before or during birth. One of the most difficult and important decisions that parents have to take at this traumatic time is whether or not to ask for a post mortem, to help them understand why their baby died.
In this audio documentary, parents who consented to post-mortem, and parents who did not, talk about the circumstances of their child’s death and why they made the choice they did. A senior pathologist explains the need for post mortems, and an Anatomical Pathology Technologist describes the significance of her role in the mortuary as part of bereavement and clinical care.

Dr Ruth Evans shows how an approach of ‘uncomfortable reflexivity’ in cross-cultural research can help to reveal the work of emotions.

Dr Sarah Earle looks at the increasing use of the internet to create online memorials to people who have died

Although it's something we'll all experience, the idea of a course dedicated to death and dying might seem unusual. Dr Carol Komaromy explains why studying death is not so morbid

What does the Harry Potter series have in common with our Muggle world when it comes to death and bereavement? Dr Sam Murphy explores.

Ruth Padel reads extracts from her book, ‘Darwin: A Life in Poems.’ This selection focuses on Darwin’s childhood, his mother’s death and his early passion for collecting.