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Extracted

This morning I read the extract of Friday's Child, in the Daily Mail . It's strange, reading my words in such a condensed form. They are my words, and it is my story, but only such a small part of it.

It is humbling to read the comments people have left under the story, and so many. Really …

Count down

… who know about the continuing danger of childbed fever and infection in otherwise healthy new mothers.

I really want it to be the start of the end of this cruel and un-prejudiced killer. Please, help me to make Jessica's untimely and unnecessary death one that counts.

Misconception that matters

… midwife, along with a personal tale, right at the end in the on-line version, written by a mother, Alex O'Connell, who had had a horrific first delivery, and had opted for a home birth the next time, assisted by an independent midwife.

I finished reading it on-line and something jumped out at me. It was the reference to Alex's post- puerperal fever after discharge from hospital first …

Friday's Child

The Heartbreaking Story of a Mother's Love and a Family's Loss

Friday's Child is my account of Jessica's death from childbed fever, the days leading up to it, and the aftermath.

I hope that people reading it will be moved, will remember how she died and realise that this archaic illness is still with us.

Hopefully, …

A chilling hot lunch

… about Jessica and her trust, and in the course of the conversation I fetched a copy of Saving Mother's Lives 2003-2005 to illustrate a point. Then something I had looked at again and again jumped out and smacked me in the face.

In those three years, the leading direct cause of maternal death was thrombosis/thromboembolism with 41 deaths. The second highest place was tied, 18 deaths …

Childbed fever: the facts

… 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, …

Inquiry into deaths of three new mothers - Telegraph

Inquiry into deaths of three new mothers - Telegraph

Necrotising Fasciitis is most commonly caused by Group A Streptococcus, which is also the most common cause of Childbed Fever. It's a pity the article doesn't make the link and say that's what it is, but 'flesh-eating bacteria' sounds nastier, doesn't it?

NICE delivery?

I've just read a good post on Mother at Large's blog about childbirth, pain and expectations about delivery.

It does sometimes seem as though birth has become a bit too competitive, and often I also hear talk of how quickly a mother was discharged, as though speed of discharge is a measure of success. What we shouldn't forget …

What rubbish

For as long as I can remember now, my work place at home has been the end of the kitchen table rather than my desk in the upstairs study. Working with my computer at the table has had its advantages - I am either in the same or the next door room to Harry and Emily when they play.

The trouble …

Maternity resources

… The government should have done more to help the NHS cope with the increase in foreign-born mothers using maternity services, the Conservatives say.

How can the government keep saying that they are working towards having a named midwife for every mother, when the number of midwives is so low? 36 midwives per 1,000 births are required, yet the average is only 31 and it is as low as 26 …