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42
Of the 483 confinements there were:—
(a) 319 cases of first confinement.
(b) 164 oases having their second or subsequent confinement.
(c) 39 cases living in 2 rooms or less (34 being first confinements).
(d) 54 cases living in 3 rooms (40 being first confinements).
Of the 483 cases, 6 women had engaged their own doctor. 2 of these
cases were, however, delivered by a midwife, the doctor not being present
at the birth.
Thirty-two cases (or 6.6 per cent.) were delivered by means of forceps,
8 following surgical induction; 3 of the infants were stillborn and 1 died
aged 4 hours.
In addition, labour was surgically induced in 37 cases; 1 of the infants
was stillborn and 1 died aged 1 day.
There were G deaths of infants in the Ward Blocks.
The rueo-natal death-rate of babies born in the Ward Blocks was 1.3
per cent compared with 2.4 per cent in the district in general. The deathrate
of babies who died before 14 days, born in the Ward Blocks, was 1.3
per cent in 1940 and 1.6 per cent in 1939.
The infant mortality rate of children born in the Ward Blocks of the
Maternity Home was 19.5 per 1,000 births, as compared with 34.9 born in
their own homes. The figure of 19.5 has been arrived at after deduction of
all deaths of infants born in the Maternity Home, and is calculated on the
total births in the district, excluding those in the Maternity Home.
There were 27 stillbirths in the Ward Blocks.
Twenty-nine cases were notified as suffering from Puerperal Pyrexia.
Nine of these cases and four other patients were removed to the Isolation
Hospital. In addition five babies notified as suffering from Pemphigus
Neonatorum were removed to the Isolation Hospital.
One case of ophthalmia neonatorum was notified from the Home during
the year ; the baby had congenital hyperplasia of the upper and lower eyelids.
Special visits were made by the Consulting Obstetrician or his Deputy
to 47 cases in the Ward Blocks as follows:—
To perform Caesarean section operations 36
To perform other operations 7
For consultations 4
Two mothers confined in the Ward Blocks died from the following
causes:—
(1) Cardiac failure due to pulmonary embolus due to toxaemia of
pregnancy after induction with retained placenta.
(2) Toxaemia from ileus (natural) following Caesarean section.
The tatter case has not been classified by the Registrar-General as a death
due to maternal causes.
The maternal mortality rate for the Ward Blocks of the Home for the
five years from 1936 to 1940 is 1.12, as compared with the maternal mortality
rate in the district generally of 3.52, the rate in each case being calculated
on the total live births.
Other Maternity Hospitals.
(a) Queen Mary's Hospital.
No case was admitted during 1940 in accordance with the arrangements
made with this Hospital.
(b) Oldchurch County Hospital.
54 cases were admitted during 1940. The fee payable to the Essex County
Council is at the rate of 14/- per day.