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Maternal deaths are an outrage

… system. Let us work together to make sure maternal mortality is a problem of the past and not our children's future."

Sarah Brown ( Reuters 19 May)

The justifiable outrage that pregnancy and childbirth continue to kill 529,000 women and leave 1 million children motherless worldwide every year is, naturally, focussed on developing countries where childbirth is far more dangerous than we can …

'Midwife numbers to fall short'

With a weariness I read today yet another story about midwifery staffing levels falling short of the number required  for the government to meet it's own declared standard of care.

BBC: Midwife numbers 'to fall short'

I've said it before, and I expect I'll say it again; please look after …

On twitter

… Trust on twitter

Who am I?

I am Ben Palmer, a childbed fever widower and parent to two children, Harry (7) and Emily (4). I set up Jessica's Trust, now a registered UK charity, to raise awareness of childbed fever - a post-natal septicaemic infection. Childbed fever accounted for 14% of maternal deaths in the UK between 2003 and 2005.

I'd like to stop unnecessary death and illness …

She doesn’t know her mother is dead

… Waiting until she understands the concept of guilt may be too late to tell her the truth. My own children, Harry and Emily, know the truth, but Emily doesn't understand guilt so hasn't (quite rightly) felt it. She may do at some point in the future, but at least she won't have the truth to contend with at the same time.

For the moment, Jessica's Trust is committed to raising awareness of and …

1-2-3, Go

I had lunch yesterday with Dr Gwyneth Lewis, Director of the Maternal Deaths Enquiry for CEMACH . I spoke immediately after her at the conference in Birmingham a few weeks ago, and we had agreed to meet up in the near future.

It was a good opportunity to catch up with what I am doing through …

MEOWS

Modified Early Obstetric Warning Score charts are instantly clear and they can save a life. What are they, though?

They are a single sheet chart, with time tracked across the top, where observations - pulse, blood pressure, temperature and a whole host of others - can be marked in the columns …

The reality of maternal mortality: a father's perspective

… course, told in Friday's Child.

Good morning. My name is Ben Palmer, I am a father of two children, and a widower. I am also founding trustee and chairman of Jessica's Trust – a charity focused on raising awareness of childbed fever or puerperal sepsis, but more about that in a minute.

First, I'd like to introduce you to my family and give you a small and brief glimpse into our …

Hand in hand

I deserted the children last night, leaving them in the capable hands of a family friend, and drove to Birmingham. It was a wrench: I'm not used to being away from Harry and Emily, and I didn't want to go. They didn't hugely want me to either. But go I did.

The Sixth National Conference on Current Issues in …

Anniversary request

Four years ago today, a good mother died unnecessarily from an archaic illness. The world may not have noticed immediately, but the three year old boy crying in his bed, the six day old girl feeding in her father's arms and the grieving widower did.

Together the three of us have kicked, …

In the grip

I was sent an early copy of a new book, Touching Distance , last week. I was gripped by it from start to finish and it consumed most of my weekend.

I have also been alerted to a post by dovegreyreader who has also spotted the link between Touching Distance and Friday's Child .

Touching …