This guideline covers the routine antenatal care that women and their babies should receive. It
aims to ensure that pregnant women are offered regular check-ups, information and support. We
have also published a guideline on postnatal care, which covers the topics of emotional attachment
and baby feeding...
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...
This guideline covers recognising, assessing and treating mental health problems in women who are
planning to have a baby, are pregnant, or have had a baby or been pregnant in the past year. It
covers depression, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, drug- and alcohol-use disorders and severe
mental illne...
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...
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...
