Time for T

Mon 28th Apr 2008 by Ben Palmer.

A little over seven years ago, Jessica met a group of fellow first time pregnant girls at her first ante-natal class.

Two girls emigrated, but five of them went on going to the classes, every week for six weeks or so. The classes came to an end and one by one they gave birth within the space of a few weeks: four boys and a girl.

The five of them continued to meet every week, usually for lunch on Wednesdays, until the children started going to nursery school. The meetings became more irregular, but they stayed in touch and sometimes us Dads joined them for dinner. In the years since, the number of children has grown to eleven.

Since Jessica's death the girls have welcomed me into their group as an honorary Mum, and have supported me hugely in the years since. Her death could not have affected them more - they were such a close knit group.

Today we formed a new group of our own: Jessica's Trust is now formalised with the five of us as trustees. The change from 'trust' to 'Trust' in the masthead reflects this.

I am hugely grateful to the girls for agreeing to help me. There is much to be done, but first we apply to become a Registered Charity.

Related posts:

  • Mum gives birth in car park
    Mum gives birth in car park because 'hospital didn't have midwife' from the Daily Mail Unless the NHS can ensure adequate midwifery...
  • Intervention
    For the last two weeks we've been without our nanny, who's on leave. In the past, being without help for this amount of time would...
  • Hard labour: The maternity service in crisis
    Hard labour: The maternity service in crisis in the Daily Mail This is a shocking tale of maternity services in the NHS. It's a...
  • Full steam ahead
    I'm Form Rep in Emily's class, so I get to organise the coffee mornings, evenings out with nice food and wine, cajole people into helping...
  • Many returns
    Tonight our long summer holidays end. We've had an amazing time, visiting Scotland and Portugal, enjoying glorious sunshine in both,...
tags:

  Trackback   Subscribe to RSS   Subscribe by Email

One Response

  1. Laura

    Great news, congratulations to all 5!

Leave a Comment

Next Item: Don't test, tell
Previous item: A chilling hot lunch
Back to the Front Page


What is childbed fever?

Childbed fever is an infection of the womb in new mothers which can lead to septicaemia. If left untreated infection will cause organ failure and death - even in young, fit mothers.

more»
What are the symptoms? »
Information for parents »

What's the aim?

We would like every parent and every midwife and doctor to know that childbed fever is still a very real threat to a mother's life.

more »
Can I help? »

Who is Jessica?

Jessica Palmer was a Mum. She died in June 2004, at 34 years old, of childbed fever caused by Group A streptococcus.

more »

Please spare a minute

Please help us with our campaign by completing our quick Awareness Survey.


This website contains general information about childbed fever. The information is not complete or comprehensive. You should not rely on the information on this website as an alternative to medical advice from your doctor or healthcare provider. If you have any specific questions about childbed fever (or any other medical condition) you should consult your doctor or other healthcare provider; and if you think you may be suffering from childbed fever (or any other medical condition) you should seek immediately medical attention. You should never delay seeking medical advice, disregard medical advice, or discontinue medical treatment because of information on this website.