In the 12 weeks following delivery, a woman must recover from childbirth, adapt to changing hormones, and learn to feed and care for her newborn. During this “4th Trimester,” many women experience considerable challenges, including fatigue, pain, breastfeeding difficulties, depression, lack of sexual desire and incontinence. Amid these concerns, postpartum care is often fragmented among… Read More →
Work Plan
New mother-infant dyads are at risk for a host of clinical concerns, including unmet breastfeeding goals, perinatal mood disorders, unsafe infant sleep practices, incontinence, tobacco recidivism, chronic disease and lack of access to acceptable contraception. These problems are extraordinarily common – affecting between one quarter and more than half of the 4 million women who… Read More →
The 4th Trimester
The term “4th Trimester” reflects the concept that during the first months of life, newborns continue to function like a fetus in many ways; they require months of intense, ‘womb-like’ nurturing. A 4th Trimester perspective views the mother and infant as a mutually dependent unit, behaviorally and physiologically intertwined via breastfeeding and other interactions such… Read More →
Maternal Mood
Maternal Mood Key questions Patients: What did you know about perinatal mood disorders? What guidance was provided prenatally? In the hospital? By pediatric and maternity providers? If you were screened for depression with a questionnaire, how was it explained / put in context? If you screened positive or had symptoms, what care was offered? If… Read More →
Physical Recovery from Childbirth
Physical Recovery from Childbirth Key questions Patients: What aspects of recovery were most challenging for you? What do you wish you’d been told before birth? What questions did you have that your health providers unable to answer? What did your maternity provider say about weight gain during pregnancy & weight loss postpartum? What advice was… Read More →
