Backgroynd: Postnatal care is an important aspect of maternity care and a time of great change for a woman as her body starts to return to a non-pregnant state and she makes the transition to motherhood, yet research shows that women and midwives identify poor satisfaction with postnatal care provision (Audit Commission 1997, Beake et al 2005). The natural focus is on the woman's pregnancy and labour and, as staff want to ensure excellent health preparation for labour, this is when the woman spends the greatest time in contact with a health professional. This acute service is also risk-driven and is the period where the greatest number of deaths and injuries can occur. Less emphasis is placed on the postnatal period or on newborn issues and as a consequence, less time is dedicated to informing women of what they should expect. The maternity review (NHS England 2015) also stated that postnatal care needs to be resourced appropriately.
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