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Campaign: what's the aim?

… and every midwife and doctor to know that childbed fever (also called puerperal fever or puerperal sepsis) is still a very real threat to a mother's life.

In the same way that every parent knows the danger of Meningitis, we believe that parents should be told about sepsis and childbed fever in ante natal classes and at the point of post natal discharge.

Our Aims

Every new mother to be …

Doctors are gentlemen, and gentlemen's hands are clean.

… just been, as I sometimes do, trawling the Internet for stories, comment and opinion on puerperal sepsis with the help of my friend. It really bothers me that there is so much opinion, comment and belief that childbed fever/puerperal fever/puerperal sepsis (call it what you will) is still caused by lack of hygiene and of handwashing.

Yes, if a mother has an internal examination by someone …

What is childbed fever?

… the womb in new mothers which can lead to septicaemia.

Historically, childbed fever (puerperal sepsis) was the leading cause of maternal death in the UK but, due in part to antibiotics, cases have declined significantly since the 1930s and the Confidential Enquiry into Maternal and Child Health reported no deaths attributable to sepsis between 1982 and 1984.

Since then, deaths have …

Death by any other name

… through comments on this blog and mostly by email, from women who have survived Puerperal Sepsis (or Childbed Fever) that it deserves comment.

Often the sepsis is due to retained placenta, but equally often - as in Jessica's case - it is not. To underline the problem, Jessica had a totally normal, textbook delivery. In the aftermath of her death and during the legal investigation …

Your say

Although this site, campaign and petition is because of and in memory of Jessica, it is for the benefit of future Mums like her. These are just a few of the things that people have said and emailed since this campaign started.

"I am an Independent Midwife, a supervisor of midwives and writer. I …

One’s only a number

… ask the Secretary of State for Health what the death rate per million maternities from puerperal sepsis and other forms of septicaemia was in each year since 1999-2000; and if she will make a statement.”

The answer came from Ivan Lewis MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Dept of Health.

“Deaths from puerperal sepsis are very rare. The Department-sponsored confidential enquiry into …