In 2018, the World Health Assembly, through resolution WHA71.9 on infant and young child feeding, affirmed that “the protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding contributes substantially to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals on nutrition and health and is a core element of qual...
The postnatal period, defined here as the period beginning immediately after the birth of the baby and extending
up to six weeks (42 days), is a critical time for women, newborns, partners, parents, caregivers and families. Yet,
during this period, the burden of maternal and neonatal mortality and morbid...
The primary goal of this recommendation is to improve the quality of care and outcomes for pregnant women and women intending to become pregnant, particularly those related to prevention of pre-eclampsia,
eclampsia and resulting complications. This recommendation may be of interest to professional societ...
This up-to-date, comprehensive and consolidated guideline on essential intrapartum care brings together new and existing WHO recommendations that, when delivered as a package, will ensure good-quality and evidence-based care irrespective of the setting or level of health care. The recommendations present...
A home-based record is a health document used to record the history of health services received by an individual. It is kept in the household, in either paper or electronic format, by the individual or their caregiver and is intended to be integrated into the health information system and complement reco...
Induction of labour is defined as the process of artificially stimulating the uterus to start
labour. It is usually performed by administering oxytocin or prostaglandins to the pregnant
woman or by manually rupturing the amniotic membranes. Induction of labour is not riskfree, and many women find it unco...
Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are an
important cause of severe morbidity, long-term
disability and death among both pregnant women
and their babies, and account for approximately
14% of all maternal deaths worldwide. Improving
care for women around the time of childbirth is
a necessary step towards...
The primary audience includes health professionals who are responsible for developing national and local health protocols (particularly those related to PPH) and those directly providing care to pregnant women and their newborns, including midwives, nurses, general medical practitioners, obstetricians, m...
This guideline provides global, evidence-informed recommendations on protection, promotion and support of optimal breastfeeding in facilities providing maternity and newborn services, as a public health intervention. It is intended to contribute to discussions among stakeholders when selecting or priorit...
Breastfeeding is the cornerstone of child survival, nutrition and development and maternal health. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life, followed by continued breastfeeding with appropriate complementary foods for up to 2 years or beyond. T...