Sheila Brill, from Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol, gave birth to her daughter Josephine in London in 1993. During the course of the labor, her daughter was starved of oxygen, which caused catastrophic brain injury. Josephine died in 2016, aged 23. Mrs. Brill has now written a book about her experience and has become an unintentional campaigner for safer childbirth.
Mrs. Brill reported that there were a number of issues that led to Josephine being starved of oxygen, among them the fact that she was induced on a post-natal ward and the cardiotocography (CTG) – a record of the fetal heart rate and uterine contractions – was poorly interpreted by a registrar. The consultant obstetrician also failed to return to the ward to monitor her progress in labor.
The medical negligence case against the health trust was settled in February 2000, more than six years after Josephine’s birth. During her life, Josephine was unable to ever walk or speak and suffered frequent spasms due to cerebral palsy. However, she was barely able to communicate, with only her hearing fully functioning. Mrs. Brill sought help for post-traumatic stress disorder 20 years after the traumatic birth and started attending a writing course after Josephine died.
She has now written a book, Can I speak to Josephine, please?, which was published in March. The story of a survivor of birth trauma, it portrays the trials and challenges but also the joyful moments of bringing Josephine up. At the launch event for the book, the president of RCOG said she believed it should be required reading for all obstetricians.
“It seems that in writing the book, I have become part of a growing campaign to improve maternity safety across the UK,” Mrs. Brill said. “I didn’t expect to become a campaigner, but if this results in lasting, positive change, then that will be Josephine’s legacy
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