Why Is Postpartum Care Important?
It’s time for a back-to-basics kind of blog. Since I’ve worked with mothers for over a decade, it can be easy to forget that the importance of postpartum care isn’t apparent to everyone. Unfortunately, the transition to motherhood doesn’t receive the attention it deserves. Society tends to focus heavily on pregnancy and birth, leaving mothers to fend for themselves afterwards. Seems flawed, right?
According to the World Health Organisation, most maternal and infant deaths occur in the first six weeks after delivery. However, this remains the most neglected phase of maternal and newborn care, despite the immediate and long-term health implications.
Before we delve into ways to chip away at society’s dismissive attitude towards postpartum care, let’s take a closer look at what ‘postpartum care’ actually means.
What is postpartum?
Western medicine recognises postpartum as the six weeks after birth. That’s how long it takes for your milk supply to establish and your uterus to contract to its original size and stop bleeding.
However, this understanding of ‘postpartum’ is narrow. Other cultures have a more broad view of this transformation. In China, this period is called ‘doing the month’ or the ‘Golden Month.’ In Greece, it’s known as ‘the fortifying.’ In Spain ‘la cuarentena’ (forty days) is observed. Many cultures go beyond a purely medical interpretation of ‘postpartum’ and focus on broader support, including warmth, comfort, nourishing food, rites of passage, rest and relief from obligations.
Our post-colonial understanding of postpartum seems stark and clinical. In fact, in Australia, Newborn Mothers are discharged from the hospital between four hours and four days after birth. The postpartum care administered for the mother typically focuses on observing and examining vaginal blood loss, uterine involution, blood pressure, and body temperature. Guidance, support and even knowledge of other postpartum practices are extremely limited.
It’s common for newborns to be showered with gifts and celebrations, while parents are expected to soldier on. It’s no surprise that this time is an emotional rollercoaster. Who looks after mothers while they devote time and attention to their newborns?
If we provided more holistic postpartum care to new parents, I believe they would step into their new roles with greater confidence and health, benefiting the entire community. We need to expand our understanding of postpartum to view it as stages that evolve with time and require long-term emotional and practical support.
Why is postpartum care important?
Postpartum care aims to maintain and promote the health and wellbeing of the birthing parent and newborn baby. Mothers should feel supported to meet their needs by their family and community. These ‘needs’ encompass the physical and mental health of parent and child, as well as the social and cultural issues that affect wellbeing.
When we neglect postpartum care, families suffer.
At least 1 in 5 women experience anxiety, depression or both during the transition to motherhood.
Two-thirds of Australian mothers don’t meet their own breastfeeding goals.
The leading cause of maternal death in Australia, the United States, Canada and New Zealand is suicide.
Every family deserves quality, publicly-funded postnatal care, and for this to become a reality, society needs to change how it perceives and values postpartum.
In an ideal world, postpartum care is holistic and equally considers the mental, physical and emotional health of Newborn Mothers. We all know it takes a village to raise a child, but forget it takes a village to raise a mother too. I wholeheartedly believe supporting mothers in building their ‘village’ is critical to postpartum care. So, how exactly do we do this?
What does a positive experience of postpartum care look like?
After extensive research into postpartum care, the World Health Organisation (WHO) identified what a ‘positive’ postnatal experience looks like. Providing person-centred care that responds to specific contexts and preferences is essential to achieving the best possible physical, emotional and psychological outcomes.
Postpartum care should be a shared journey and not a solitary one. WHO recommends developing a partnership with the mother and her family, focusing on building sustainable community support. It leads to more happiness and self-confidence and an enhanced capacity to thrive both as a parent and a person.
WHO has found that mothers not only want help navigating the immense physical and emotional challenges that come with motherhood but also help build their confidence as parents.
A positive experience of postpartum care is one where women, newborns, partners, parents, caregivers and families receive evidence-based information, reassurance and support in a loving and consistent manner. It is also essential that the healthcare system recognises the needs of both mothers and newborns and respects their cultural context.
A doula’s sole purpose is to provide quality postpartum care
In clinical settings, no single healthcare professional is dedicated to the mother throughout her whole journey. In Australia, many professionals work for the health and well-being of mothers and babies, including midwives, obstetricians, pediatricians, child health nurses and more. Despite the proven, significant benefits of continuity of care, and decades of advocating for this, most Australian women don’t have adequate access to this model of care.
This is where postpartum doulas step in. A postpartum doula is a non-medical professional that supports women in stepping into the role of ‘new mother’ with confidence and satisfaction. Their sole purpose is to provide postpartum care through emotional and physical support; some like to say we ‘mother the mother’. I also refer to postpartum doulas as ‘postpartum support professionals’ or simply ‘postpartum professionals’.
Every doula’s offerings are slightly different, but they typically include the following.
Postpartum doulas help new parents bond with their babies and spend time together. This can help parents better understand their child’s personality and temperament and feel confident in their unique parenting style.
They provide companionship and emotional support to mothers in whichever form they like; this could mean active listening, providing a shoulder to cry on, or simply sharing a cup of tea and laughter.
They provide evidence-based information about basic baby care and normal breastfeeding to help navigate parenting decisions. They will always make referrals where appropriate to prevent long-term issues. A fantastic postpartum support professional will have resources, professionals, and hotlines in their back pocket to help families find timely and reliable support.
Perhaps most importantly, a postpartum doula will help the mother create sustainable support systems around her. This might mean connecting the new parent with fellow families, classes and groups. Ultimately, they try their best to build the villages that society has lost.
Essentially, a professional postpartum carer works alongside the family after childbirth to help them navigate this new life. In the past, communities would come together to support new mothers. We seek to recreate this magic.
Postpartum Education and Care Training
As the creator of Postpartum Education and Care Professional Training, available online and worldwide, I teach my students to work themselves out of a job. Why? I believe our ultimate goal should be a cultural change. Postpartum Professionals help foster a positive experience of postpartum care by nurturing parents into their new roles, building their confidence and restoring their strength until they longer need to rely on their services. We support new families to join support groups and refer them to relevant professionals. I want to create a society where neighbours bring food, all parents have access to paid parental leave, and mothers don’t feel ashamed asking for help.
We have an online, worldwide directory where you will find postpartum professionals, mothers’ groups, online services, massage, belly binding, and meals to support you during your transition.
Maybe you have landed on this blog because you are interested in pursuing a career that contributes to a positive culture of postpartum care. If you feel a deep calling to work with new families during the transition to parenthood, I’m proud to say Newborn Mothers has trained over 1500 students from 60 countries around the world! The course is entirely self-paced and consists of lifetime access to twelve training modules that you can complete in your own time, at your own pace. Once or twice a year, we host a live class for community and accountability.
Newborn Mothers Training is endorsed by the Australian College of Midwives, the Australian Natural Therapists Association and DONA International for Continuing Professional Development points.
I always encourage curiosity, so if you have any questions about the unique space that postpartum support professionals occupy, please explore my podcast, blog and books to your heart’s content.
