WHO urges quality care for women and new-borns in critical first weeks after childbirth
The World Health Organisation says the first six weeks after birth are critical for ensuring newborn and maternal survival and for supporting the healthy development of the baby as well as the mother’s overall mental and physical recovery and wellbeing.
Dr. Anshu Banerjee, Director of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Ageing at WHO emphasises that the need for quality maternity and newborn care should not stop once a baby is born.
He argues that parents also need strong health care and support systems, especially women whose needs are too often neglected when the baby comes.
WHO notes that worldwide, more than 3 in 10 women and babies do not currently receive postnatal care in the first days after birth, the period when most maternal and infant deaths occur.
Source: World Health Organisation
Image: Huffington Post
