Goodbye Mr Chips- what complications would Mrs Chipping (and Albert) have died of?

[elvislives]

Just having a blub over the death of Mrs Chipping in childbirth. We know it was something that happened in the olden days but why? What "complications" would have killed them?

Found you!

Hmm, complications huh? They are obviously womanly things of which gentlemen of a certain class must sadly remain ignorant < posh accent >

god that film is soooo tearjerky

puerperal fever?
post-partum haemorrhage?

Can't be puerperal fever because she died actually in childbirth..

massive blood loss or shock then maybe

I had big pph's after both my births and wenmt into shock

or maybe she had an eclamptic fit or a stroke?

Could have been eclampsia, pph, puerperal fever possibly, could have been 2 different reasons. One for the baby and another for the mother.

Apparently one of the most common causes of death in childbirth was a retained placenta. The woman then either bled to death, or else they would remove the placenta manually and then she would die of an infection of the womb. Nice! This wouldn't kill the baby though.

BTW my DS (10) absolutely loved 'Goodbye Mr Chips', much to my amazement!

that's still one of the biggest dangers Latchley. I had ds1's placenta removed manually following semi-failed induction/very long delivery due to diabetes and severe pre-eclampsia. They said at the time it might have been partly due to being made to labour on my back for 24+ hours despite having been in a wheelchair for month with a separated pelvis. I lost a lot of blood during the manual removal and had 200 stitches, I don't think a woman would survive all that during the time that film was set in.

6 months, not 1 month [self-indulgent TMI emoticon]

I think if death of mother and child is pretty much simultaneous and during or immediately after birth then it has to either be eclampsia or placental abruption.

Oh that sounds horrendous! I had pre-eclampsia with dd1, so they gave me tablets and she showed up 3 weeks early. Would I have been a goner, d'ya reckon? < loves being morbid and melodratic >

Bitoffun - yes probably! I had a horrible infection after dd1 and I think that would have carried me off in the pre antibiotic age. If it didn't - well I had a minor pph after dd3, assuming you lived in an age with no readily avilable and effective contraception doubtless there would have been other births - and pphs! in my future so who knows?

We are bloody lucky to have what we have.

You are right there.

Ah! Just watched the Martin Clunes version.

Sad, but excellent. I really enjoyed it.

Wished they'd taken the sad bit out!