Baby Steps For Prioritizing Postpartum Care in the US
Fernando Botero, Maternity, 2005
Ebi recognizes and celebrates the importance of maternal and child health to the future of humankind. The field, especially the postpartum period, however, is often overlooked and underfunded. Recently, the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) took a step in the right direction. The Department will expand funding by $350 million for its programs nationwide, prioritizing home visiting services to at-need families and increasing access to doulas.
Compared to other similarly wealthy countries, the US currently ranks last in a number of measures of maternal physical and mental health. We also are severely lacking in established practices of caring for birthing parents during the prenatal period. Comprehensive prenatal and postpartum care is essential to the wellbeing of new parents and infants, and other countries have strong examples of ways to enact quality care.
Seeing the US federal government take steps towards establishing wider access to postpartum care is important because a country that cares for its people, especially from their beginnings, is more productive and stable.
The Dutch: Leaders in Postpartum Wellness
While in the US, 1 in 4 birthing people return to work only 10 days after giving birth, pregnant workers in the Netherlands are entitled to at least 6 weeks of leave prior to childbirth, as well as at least 10 weeks postpartum. In addition to more guaranteed leave, Dutch birthing people also have access to an in-home maternity nurse who provides at least 24 hours of care within the first 8 days after discharge from giving birth.
Learn about an American’s personal experience of giving birth in the Netherlands and the cultural differences she experienced here.
Maternal, Infant, and Early Child Home Visiting
A major initiative funded by the recent HHS expansion is the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program. The program focuses on tackling barriers to prenatal and postpartum care for the whole family. Participants learn positive parenting skills such as reading, playing, and praising good behaviors. These skills, along with breastfeeding guidance help to set the foundation for healthy caregiver-child relationships.
Health and wellbeing of the wider family are further supported by connecting families to various services and resources within their communities to help them set goals for the future, focusing on education, employment, and childcare solutions during postpartum and beyond. The MIECHV program is a step in the right direction to improving the level of care and support that American families receive in the postpartum period.
From MIECHV
Doulas, Community Empowerment, and Racial Equity
The Healthy Start Initiative is a collaboration of programs aiming to reduce differences in access to health services, improve the quality of local healthcare systems, empower women and families, and increase community participation in healthcare decisions. Highlights of the programs are outlined below along with information and resources.
Community-Based Doulas is a brand-new program boosted by HHS funding that will focus solely on increasing the availability of doulas in areas that are most affected by infant and maternal mortality, and decreasing racial and ethnic disparities in access to care and health outcomes. A doula is “a trained professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to a mother before, during and shortly after childbirth to help her achieve the healthiest, most satisfying experience possible.” Doulas are meant to be family advocates during the entire childbirth process, ensuring that families have the information and resources they need to feel confident in their birth and postpartum plans.
Participants will receive doula services throughout pregnancy and at least 3 months into the postpartum period. This is important because doulas are trained to support infants and birthing people not only through childbirth, but into the newborn and postpartum period to help foster the bond between caregiver and child and support the health and wellbeing of both as well. Seeing the federal government take steps in the direction of supporting doula care is important because of the countless health benefits, as studies have shown that having access to a doula improves birth outcomes as well as breastfeeding confidence, to name a few.
The Infant Health Equity program and State Systems Developmental Initiative are dedicated to reducing racial disparities in birthing. The programs will focus on access to the basic rights of education, housing, and nutrition--collecting data on the current state of racial and ethnic health disparities throughout pregnancy and postpartum and directly involving the community in establishing new policies and practices based on findings of the data. Utilizing the community in such intimate and vital matters as postpartum and infant health is essential and will lead to more inclusive and holistic practices.
Ebi believes in the value of these initiatives and the potential they have to positively impact the health of birthing people and their babies. We recognize postpartum care as a basic human right for all birthing people, especially those affected by health and social disparities. Continued investment in initiatives such as these ensure the health of our society by supporting birthing people and their babies when it matters most.