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Perinatal Mortality Survey. This was a country wide survey conducted by the National
Birthday Trust, in which all midwives were asked to fill in a comprehensive questionnaire on
every infant delivered in the first week of March, and every stillborn baby delivered in
March, April or May. Completed questionnaires were returned to the Health Department where
they were classified and checked by the Non-Medical Supervisor of Midwives and then forwarded
to the National Birthday Trust. The helpful and efficient co-operation of the staff of the
maternity units eased the burden of this extra work.
128 forms were received
105 related to live births during the week in question
23 to stillbirths during the 3 months
7 of the babies died within 28 days
An important part of the research was to ascertain the precise cause of death in all
stillbirths, and infant deaths within 28 days of birth, and for this reason arrangements were
made for a post-mortem examination, where permission could be obtained. It is hoped that the
results will shed further light on the causes of stillbirths and infant deaths, and perhaps
point the way to methods of prevention.
Maternity Services. Total live births notified as West Ham births during the year
1958 were 2,699 and of these 12% were born at home and 88% born in hospital.
Domiciliary births within the Borough 312
Domiciliary births outside the Borough 0
Hospital births within the Borough 2,204
Hospital births outside the Borough 183
2,699
NUMBER OF LIVE BIRTHS IN MATERNITY UNITS IN THE BOROUGH
Hospital
West Ham Residents
Total live births
Forest Gate
972
1,993
Plaistow Maternity
829
1,165
Queen Mary's
403
772
TOTAL:
2,204
3,930
MIDWIVES ATTENDING DOMICILIARY CONF INEMENTS
Service
Number (or equivalent number)
of midwives on 31.12.58
Number of live
births
Municipal
5
270
Essex County Nurses
Training Home
3 (part-time)
41
TOTAL:
8
311
All the municipal domiciliary midwives undertake the training of pupils. The
midwife acted as a maternity nurse in 5 of the domiciliary confinements.
Medical aid was summoned in 170 cases. In 125 of these help was required for the
mother only, in 31 for the baby only, and in the remaining 14 cases help was summoned on
account of both mother and baby.
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