SusanJessica's Trust and Childbed Fever (LINK)
November 2nd 2007 19:59
Jessica’s Trust is a website put together by Ben Palmer to raise awareness of the condition Childbed Fever.
Ben Palmer is Jessica's husband. Jessica tragically died just 6 days after giving birth to their second child in June 2004 from Childbed Fever - an illness which is treatable if caught in time. In Jessica’s case mistakes were made and the result was that she died, aged just 34. Ben is now a widower bringing up two children. Jessica’s Trust contains a blog about his life in the aftermath of losing his wife.
The website also tells Jessica’s story and explains the illness that killed her. It is information that everyone would benefit from knowing.
Ben hopes that highlighting Jessica’s story will increase awareness of Childbed Fever and in doing so save another mum’s life. This would prevent another family going through the trauma his own family have gone through, and are continuing to go through. Ben aims to ‘prevent another needless waste of life, just when a young family needs its mother most.’
In his own words Ben says:
We would like every mother and every midwife and doctor to know that Puerperal Fever 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.
If a mother complains of feeling unwell or shows a temperature (in particular over 38 C) she should be assumed to have contracted childbed fever until it can be proved otherwise.
There is no need, particularly in modern Western medicine, for anybody to die just because they had a baby.
What is Childbed Fever?
The Jessica’s Trust Website provides the following information:
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. In western medicine today it is unlikely to be caused by poor hygiene - although historically it was the lack of hygiene standards that led to its spread in epidemic proportions. It does not have to be caused by retained placenta or any error or misjudgement at birth. A perfect, complication free delivery is no guarantee of safety from sepsis.
It is a very serious form of septicaemia, caused for example by Group A streptococcus bacteria which, if untreated, will inevitably lead to toxic shock syndrome, multi-organ failure and death.
Group A Streptococcus is a relatively common bacteria, which some people have quite harmlessly on their skin, in their nose, throat or genital tract.
It is a nasty and highly toxic organism. If it is able to take hold in the ideal conditions of a post partum uterus and the symptoms of infection are not caught early enough, death will follow. It will overwhelm even the healthiest mother’s immune system.
Historically, Childbed Fever was the leading cause of maternal death in the UK but, due in part to penicillin, cases declined significantly; the Confidential Enquiry into Maternal and Child Health reported no attributable deaths between 1982 and 1984.
Since then, deaths have been on the increase and sepsis now accounts for 12% of direct causes of maternal death.
The Jessica's Trust website address is: www.jessicastrust.org.uk/
Ben Palmer is Jessica's husband. Jessica tragically died just 6 days after giving birth to their second child in June 2004 from Childbed Fever - an illness which is treatable if caught in time. In Jessica’s case mistakes were made and the result was that she died, aged just 34. Ben is now a widower bringing up two children. Jessica’s Trust contains a blog about his life in the aftermath of losing his wife.
The website also tells Jessica’s story and explains the illness that killed her. It is information that everyone would benefit from knowing.
Ben hopes that highlighting Jessica’s story will increase awareness of Childbed Fever and in doing so save another mum’s life. This would prevent another family going through the trauma his own family have gone through, and are continuing to go through. Ben aims to ‘prevent another needless waste of life, just when a young family needs its mother most.’
In his own words Ben says:
We would like every mother and every midwife and doctor to know that Puerperal Fever 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.
If a mother complains of feeling unwell or shows a temperature (in particular over 38 C) she should be assumed to have contracted childbed fever until it can be proved otherwise.
There is no need, particularly in modern Western medicine, for anybody to die just because they had a baby.
What is Childbed Fever?
The Jessica’s Trust Website provides the following information:
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. In western medicine today it is unlikely to be caused by poor hygiene - although historically it was the lack of hygiene standards that led to its spread in epidemic proportions. It does not have to be caused by retained placenta or any error or misjudgement at birth. A perfect, complication free delivery is no guarantee of safety from sepsis.
It is a very serious form of septicaemia, caused for example by Group A streptococcus bacteria which, if untreated, will inevitably lead to toxic shock syndrome, multi-organ failure and death.
Group A Streptococcus is a relatively common bacteria, which some people have quite harmlessly on their skin, in their nose, throat or genital tract.
It is a nasty and highly toxic organism. If it is able to take hold in the ideal conditions of a post partum uterus and the symptoms of infection are not caught early enough, death will follow. It will overwhelm even the healthiest mother’s immune system.
Historically, Childbed Fever was the leading cause of maternal death in the UK but, due in part to penicillin, cases declined significantly; the Confidential Enquiry into Maternal and Child Health reported no attributable deaths between 1982 and 1984.
Since then, deaths have been on the increase and sepsis now accounts for 12% of direct causes of maternal death.
The Jessica's Trust website address is: www.jessicastrust.org.uk/
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