Recorded presentation

Anne Tinker, Saving Newborn Lives, Save the Children, 2000 M Street, N.W., #500, Washington, DC 20036, 202 530-4366, atinker@dc.savechildren.org

Postpartum care is often neglected as a priority for maternal and newborn health care, despite the fact that most maternal deaths occur in the postpartum period and at least 4 million babies die during the first 28 days of life. Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is a major cause of maternal death -- most often in the first 4 hours after delivery. About 90% of deaths from PPH occur during the first week. Maternal mortality from PPH and its complications also takes place during the first week after delivery. Newborn deaths also account for two-thirds of all infant deaths. The majority of these newborns die in the first week of life-and almost 2/3 die during the first 24 hours postpartum. Most of these deaths are due to birth asphyxia/injuries and complications of low birth weight. Women in many settings face cultural barriers to seeking care soon after childbirth. In many developing countries, new mothers are kept in seclusion for several weeks, making it impossible to seek care from health care facilities. Their lack of access to care and information points to the need for community-based approaches.

Program guidance to reach households where women have recently delivered has been lacking. Recent research to address this gap provides evidence on postpartum care practices and leads to recommendations for an integrated, community-based, postpartum care strategy.

Learning Objectives:

• To review the literature on the role of postpartum care in improving newborn health and survival and to make recommendations about how to design or improve effective newborn care programs at the community level.

Keywords: Maternal and Child Health, International Health

Related Web page: www.savethechildren.org/newborns/index.asp

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Save the Children Saving Newborn Lives project
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

Recorded presentation