Childbed fever: the facts
Childbed fever (also called puerperal fever or puerperal sepsis) is a treatable illness that kills mothers. It is defined as infection of the uterus following the birth of a child. This infection, if unchecked, may spread into the bloodstream to cause septicaemia (blood poisoning) - a life-threatening illness that progresses in hours, not days, and may kill swiftly.
- Childbed fever is rare, but is still a threat to mothers
- Childbed fever is feared by every GP and midwife who has ever seen it
- Septicaemia accounts for 14% of direct causes of maternal death1
- Up to 30% of us may carry a bacterium that can cause it
- Septicaemia can develop very rapidly
- Septicaemia can usually be treated quickly and effectively if detected early enough
- Most cases occur after delivery but septicaemia can also occur after a miscarriage, or during pregnancy or labour
- Being aware of the symptoms could save your life
- It is not a disease of the past
- It is not a hospital acquired infection (HAI) or a 'superbug'
- It is not caused by poor hygiene
- Even a healthy immune system will not beat it
- Delivering naturally and easily, without any complications does not eliminate the risk
- Being young and healthy doesn't make you 'safe'
- If you have a home birth, it doesn’t make you 'safe'
- Lewis, G (ed) 2007. The Confidential Enquiry into Maternal and Child Health (CEMACH). Saving Mothers' Lives: reviewing maternal deaths to make motherhood safer - 2003-2005. The Seventh Report on Confidential Enquiries into Maternal Deaths in the United Kingdom. London: CEMACH. ↩
