Pregnancy can be an exciting time, filled with preparations for baby and frequent visits to the doctor or midwife for health checks. Following birth, however, a time in which a woman’s body has undergone significant change and at times, trauma, medical care is noticeably lacking.
The fourth trimester has been identified as the first 3 months following a birth, a time of transition in which a woman is faced with multiple life changes, which include: 1) addressing emotional and psychological needs, including perinatal depression, 2) learning to care for and feed her child, 3) navigating sexuality and contraception needs, 4) physical recovery from childbirth, 5) obtaining adequate sleep, and 6) managing drug intake, including identifying medication. Unless they have a built-in support network, many new moms are left to navigate these changes alone.
During this time, the medical standard for postpartum care is 1 visit; however, one survey has shown that 20-40% of women do not visit a medical professional between 3-8 weeks postpartum. This statistic is increased in populations with lower socioeconomic status. Decreased access to an utilization of health care services during this time can significantly negatively impact maternal-infant bonding and overall maternal health.
To begin addressing these issues, a set of recommendations was compiled through research on a variety of fronts spearheaded by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Center for Maternal and Infant Health, the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and the Carolina
Global Breastfeeding Institute in 2015. These recommendations include:
- Creating integrated services to enable easy transitioning from preconception through well baby and mother health care services
- Improve community, government and business support for new mothers, including paid parental leave and improved health insurance access and coverage.
- Providing mother-centered health care postpartum, with specific attention paid to the importance of obtaining adequate sleep.
These recommendations provide a great starting point to advance the conversation on the importance of maternal health care postpartum. Physical therapy can be an integral part of a new mother’s physical recovery during the fourth trimester, and beyond. Give us a call to see how we can help you!
Verbiest SB, Tully KP, Stuebe AM. Promoting maternal and infant health in the 4th trimester. Zero to Three—National Centre for Infants, Toddlers and Families. 2017:34–44