Whose Health Is Maternal And Neonatal?

Maternal health refers to the health of women during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postnatal period, ensuring they reach their full potential for health and well-being. Newborn health refers to the babies’ first month of life. A healthy start in life has significant impacts on maternal, newborn, and child health, including health systems, policies, financial flows, and equity. The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH) aims to create a world where every woman, child, and adolescent can realize their right to health and well-being.

In 2017, about 295 000 women died during and following pregnancy and childbirth, and 5.1 million babies were stillborn or die in their first month of life. Rising conflict, climate change, and cost of living disproportionately affect women and children, with about 50 of maternal, newborn, and under-five deaths occurring in humanitarian settings. In 2020, 1 in 10 babies were stillborn.

Uneven access to affordable, high-quality healthcare and services hinders many countries from improving maternal and newborn survival and reducing stillbirths. The WHO has recommended universal screening of newborns for eye abnormalities, hearing impairment, and neonatal issues.

The MNCNH program envisions a world where healthy mothers deliver healthy babies and receive quality care from skilled health workers like midwives. Adequate intake of iron, folate, vitamin A, and iodine is particularly important for the health of women and their infants. The Healthy Newborn Network aims to transform the landscape of newborn health worldwide. Maternal mortality declined by 34% between 2000 and 2020.

Who recommendations on newborn health?

Essential newborn care is crucial for every newborn, ensuring protection from injury and infection, normal breathing, warmth, and feeding. It includes immediate care at birth, thermal care, resuscitation, breastfeeding support, nurturing care, infection prevention, health problem assessment, and timely referral. This care is essential both in health facilities and at home.

Working with countries and partners to implement the Every Newborn: An action plan to end preventable deaths adopted in May 2014, as part of the UN Secretary-General’s Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health (2016-30), is essential. This includes strengthening data availability and quality, and coordinating the development of indicators at national and subnational levels to assess coverage of key indicators for essential newborn care.

WHO standards for maternal and newborn health?

All women and newborns are provided with standard precautions to prevent hospital-acquired infections. Furthermore, no unnecessary or harmful practices are permitted during labor, childbirth, or the early postnatal period.

Who recommendations for babies?

WHO and UNICEF recommend early breastfeeding initiation within 1 hour of birth, exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months, and the introduction of nutritionally-adequate and safe complementary foods at 6 months. Undernutrition is associated with 2. 7 million child deaths annually, and infant and young child feeding is crucial for improving child survival and promoting healthy growth and development.

The first 2 years of a child’s life are particularly important, as optimal nutrition during this period lowers morbidity and mortality, reduces the risk of chronic disease, and fosters better development. Optimal breastfeeding could save the lives of over 820, 000 children under the age of 5 each year.

What is maternal and neonatal health?

Maternal and newborn health (MNH) are crucial for a person’s health and well-being during pregnancy, childbirth, and postnatal periods. High-quality care is essential for the right to health, equity, and dignity for women and their babies. The total fertility rate in the WHO European Region was relatively low at 1. 7 live births per woman in 2021, compared to 1. 1 to 3. 2 in different countries. This slowdown in population growth is partly due to Europeans having fewer children.

However, the population of central Asia is increasing by an average of one million people annually, and further growth is predicted. Future strategies and interventions will vary across countries in the Region, but action is required from all sectors of society to address the growing need in MNH.

New data from WHO and other UN agencies warns that progress tackling maternal mortality rates has slowed or stopped in some European countries between 2016 and 2020. In 2020, around 1000 women in the Region died due to complications related to pregnancy or childbirth. Most maternal deaths are preventable with timely management and evidence-based interventions by skilled health professionals working in a supportive environment.

Who guidelines on respectful maternity care?

The main resource requirements for respectful maternity care include an enhanced physical environment, rooming-in for women and their babies, clean, well-lit, and well-ventilated areas for labor, childbirth, and neonatal care, and adequate equipment and maintenance. These recommendations align with the World Health Organization’s 2018 recommendations for a positive childbirth experience, emphasizing the importance of a clean and well-equipped environment.

Who recommendations on postnatal care of the mother and newborn World health Organization?

Postnatal care is recommended for all mothers and newborns, with at least three additional contacts on day 3 (48-72 hours), between days 7-14 after birth, and six weeks after birth. Home visits are also recommended for mother and newborn care. Symptoms of PPH include sudden blood loss, faintness, dizziness, palpitations/tachycardia, headaches, visual disturbances, nausea, vomiting, epigastric pain, feeling faint, convulsions, and fever, shivering, abdominal pain, and/or offensive vaginal loss.

What is maternal care according to who?

Maternal health is defined as the well-being of women during the stages of pregnancy, childbirth, and the postnatal period. It is of the utmost importance to guarantee that each phase is conducive to the optimal well-being of both mother and child. Despite notable advancements over the past two decades, approximately 287, 000 women perished during and after pregnancy and childbirth in 2020, a troubling statistic that highlights a persisting challenge.

WHO recommended postnatal care?

Postnatal contact should be initiated within 24 hours of birth, with at least three additional contacts recommended for all mothers and newborns. Symptoms of PPH include sudden blood loss, faintness, dizziness, palpitations/tachycardia, headaches, visual disturbances, nausea, vomiting, epigastric pain, feeling faint, and convulsions. Infection symptoms include fever, shivering, abdominal pain, and offensive vaginal loss. It is crucial to monitor for these signs and symptoms during the first few days after birth.

Who guidelines on postnatal care?

Postnatal care is recommended for all mothers and newborns, with at least three additional contacts on day 3 (48-72 hours), between days 7-14 after birth, and six weeks after birth. Home visits are also recommended for mother and newborn care. Symptoms of PPH include sudden blood loss, faintness, dizziness, palpitations/tachycardia, headaches, visual disturbances, nausea, vomiting, epigastric pain, feeling faint, convulsions, and fever, shivering, abdominal pain, and/or offensive vaginal loss.

Who recommendations maternal health?

The World Health Organization (WHO) has released a new guideline recommending universal screening of newborns for eye abnormalities, hearing impairment, and neonatal hyperbilirubinaemia. It also emphasizes maternal mental health, with universal screening for and prevention of maternal depression and anxiety during the postnatal period. The guideline also covers interventions for common physiological signs and symptoms, preventive measures, nutritional interventions, breastfeeding, infant growth and development, and postpartum contraception. Additional health systems and health promotion interventions include midwifery continuity of care, task-sharing, involvement of men, and digital targeted client communication.

The new WHO postnatal care recommendations serve as a call-to-action for renewed focus on postnatal care globally. Although the recommended minimum length of stay in health facilities and schedule of postnatal care contacts remain unchanged from 2014, their implementation remains suboptimal. Renewed focus is needed in the care and monitoring of women and newborns in the first 24 hours after birth, as well as preparing women and families for discharge and the transition to the home. Effective systems for referral, diagnosis, management, and follow-up are needed, as well as culturally sensitive screening and management.

Health and social policy considerations will provide an enabling environment for the implementation of the postnatal care guideline, including the right to health and healthcare, universal health coverage, respectful care, protection from harmful commercial marketing, birth registration, employment rights, and social protection legislation.

WHO guidelines for safe motherhood?

The objective is to improve the physical, mental, and social well-being of pregnant women by providing them with education on nutrition, rest, sleep, personal hygiene, family planning, immunization, sexually transmitted infections, danger signs, and birth preparedness.