Another Maternal Death

We need to realize that hospitals are not sanitary and safe as we would like to believe; there is a reason the German word for hospital means "sick house".

Woman Gives Birth, Later Dies From Bacterial Meningitis

BELLFONTAINE, Ohio - Hospital administrators said Tuesday that they were conducting an investigation after two women contracted bacterial meningitis within 24 hours of giving birth.
The women arrived at Mary Rutan Hospital Thursday evening and both delivered healthy babies. By the next morning, the women started to become ill, 10TV's Tanisha Mallett reported.
"Sometime around mid-morning there were complications," said Mandy Goble, president and chief executive officer of Mary Rutan Hospital. "Headaches and a little bit of nausea developed, which is very common with spinal anesthesia."

Later in the day, the women were moved to Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus. Shortly before midnight, one of the women, Susan Simpson, 30, died.

Goble said her hospital immediately launched an investigation to determine what caused the infection.

"They came in about an hour apart; they were in separate rooms (and) as far as we know they did not know each other previous to the delivery," Goble said. "The only commonality that we have been able to determine is they each have a spinal anesthesia."

The other woman, whose name was not released, remained at the hospital on Tuesday. Her family and friends told 10TV News that she was in the hospital's intensive care unit, Mallett reported.

The women's babies were in good condition at Nationwide Children's Hospital.
The Ohio Department of Health told 10TV News that the Logan County Health Department was also involved in the investigation.

Watch 10TV News and refresh 10TV.com for additional information.
http://www.10tv.com/live/content/local/stories/2009/05/26/story_meningitis.html

Did you know...that the United States ranks behind at least 40 other nations in maternal mortality rates according to the World Health Organization. In 2005, the United States reported 15.1 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, up from 7.5 per 100,000 in 1982.Did you know...that black women in the United States have 4 times the risk of dying from childbirth or childbirth related complications. Hispanic women in the United States, similarly, are 1.6 times more likely than non-Hispanic white women to die from pregnancy-related causes.

Did you know...that the Centers for Disease Control estimated in 1998 that the US maternal death rate is actually 1.3 to three times that reported in vital statistics records because of underreporting of such deaths.

Did you know...that reporting of maternal deaths in the United States is done via an honor system. There are no statutes providing for penalties for misreporting or failing to report maternal deaths.

Did you know...that the Centers for Disease Control estimates that more than half of the reported maternal deaths in the United States could have been prevented by early diagnosis and treatment.

Maternal Mortality Fact Sheet
The Safe Motherhood Quilt Project is a national effort developed to draw public attention to the current maternal death rates, as well as to the gross underreporting of maternal deaths in the United States, and to honor those women who have died of pregnancy-related causes since 1982.
The Project is the vision of Ina May Gaskin, midwifery pioneer and author of Ina May's Guide to Childbirth and the classic Spiritual Midwifery, who has been instrumental in bringing this issue to the public light.The QuiltThe quilt is made up of individually designed squares; each one devoted to a woman in the U.S. who has died of pregnancy-related causes since 1982. One quilt square is designed and dedicated to each mother's memory and may mention the date and place of death and the name of the woman. The Safe Motherhood Quilt is the voice for women who can no longer speak for themselves.

To be honored and remembered on The Safe Motherhood Quilt:
The woman died as a result of a complication of pregnancy or birth
The woman's death occurred since 1982
The woman died within a calendar year after the end of her pregnancy (documented by an obituary, death certificate, relative's or witness' account).

Do you know of a woman's story you'd like to share? Get more information on how to prepare your quilt block and submit it for inclusion in the Safe Motherhood Quilt.

For More InformationThe Safe Motherhood Quilt Project149 Apple Orchard LaneSummertown, TN 38483 InaMayGaskin@GMail.com

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