This guideline covers the routine postnatal care that women and their babies should receive in the first 8 weeks after the birth. It includes the organisation and delivery of postnatal care, identifying and managing common and serious health problems in women and their babies, how to help parents form st...
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...
This guideline covers the care of healthy women and their babies, during labour and immediately after the birth. It focuses on women who give birth between 37 and 42 weeks of pregnancy (‘term’). The guideline helps women to make an informed choice about where to have their baby. It also aims to reduc...
The first hours, days and weeks after childbirth are a dangerous time for both mother and newborn
infant. Among the more than 500 000 women who die each year due to complications of pregnancy
and childbirth (1), most deaths occur during or immediately after childbirth (2). Every year three
million infant...
Every year, about 3.7 million babies die in the first four weeks of life (2004 estimates). Most of these newborns are born in developing countries and most die at home. Up to two-thirds of these deaths can be prevented if mothers and newborns receive known, effective interventions. A strategy that promot...
