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Guideline

WHO recommendations on maternal and newborn care for a positive postnatal experience.

Year of Publication
2022
Issuing Institution
World Health Organization
Links
WHO IRIS

Recommendations

57 included recommendations

Preventive chemotherapy (deworming), using annual or biannuala single-dose albendazole (400 mg) or mebendazole (500 mg), is recommended as a public health intervention for all non-pregnant adolescent girls and women of reproductive age, including postpartum and/or lactating women, living in areas where the baseline prevalence of any soil-transmitted helminth infection is 20% or more among adolescent girls and women of reproductive age, in order to reduce the worm burden of soil-transmitted helminths

Status
Maintained

Context specific recommendation

Only in specific contexts

In endemic communities with Schistosoma spp. prevalence of 10% or higher, WHO recommends annual preventive chemotherapy with praziquantel in a single dose for ≥ 75% up to 100% of pregnant women after the first trimester, and non-pregnant adolescent girls and women of reproductive age, including postpartum and/or lactating women, to control schistosomiasis morbidity and move towards eliminating the disease as a public health problem.

Status
Maintained

Context specific recommendation

Only in specific contexts

In endemic communities with Schistosoma spp. prevalence of less than 10%, WHO suggests one of two approaches based on the programmes’ objectives and resources: (i) where there has been a programme of regular preventive chemotherapy, continuing preventive chemotherapy at the same or a reduced frequency towards interruption of transmission; and (ii) where there has not been a programme of regular preventive chemotherapy, a clinical approach of test-and-treat, instead of preventive chemotherapy targeting a population.

Status
Maintained

Context specific recommendation

Only in specific contexts

The following signs should be assessed during each postnatal care contact, and the newborn should be referred for further evaluation if any of the signs is present: • not feeding well • history of convulsions • fast breathing (breathing rate > 60 per minute) • severe chest in-drawing • no spontaneous movement • fever (temperature > 37.5 °C) • low body temperature (temperature < 35.5 °C) • any jaundice in first 24 hours after birth, or yellow palms and soles at any age. The parents and family should be encouraged to seek health care early if they identify any of the above danger signs between postnatal care visits

Status
Maintained

Recommended

In settings with recent (within the last five years) and reliable data that indicate a high infant mortality rate (greater than 50 per 1000 live births) and a high prevalence of maternal vitamin A deficiency (> 10% of pregnant women with serum retinol concentrations < 0.70 µmol/L), providing newborns with a single oral dose of 50 000 IU of vitamin A within the first three days after birth may be considered to reduce infant mortality.

Status
Updated

Context specific recommendation

Only in specific contexts

A minimum of four postnatal care contacts is recommended. If birth is in a health facility, healthy women and newborns should receive postnatal care in the facility for at least 24 hours after birth. If birth is at home, the first postnatal contact should be as early as possible within 24 hours of birth. At least three additional postnatal contacts are recommended for healthy women and newborns, between 48 and 72 hours, between 7 and 14 days, and during week six after birth.

Status
Updated

Recommended

Prior to discharging women and newborns after birth from the health facility to the home, health workers should assess the following criteria to improve maternal and newborn outcomes: • the woman’s and baby’s physical well-being and the woman’s emotional well-being; • the skills and confidence of the woman to care for herself and the skills and confidence of the parents and caregivers to care for the newborn; and • the home environment and other factors that may influence the ability to provide care for the woman and the newborn in the home, and care-seeking behaviour

Status
Updated

Recommended

Interventions to promote the involvement of men during pregnancy, childbirth and after birth are recommended to facilitate and support improved self-care of women, home care practices for women and newborns, and use of skilled care for women and newborns during pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period, and to increase the timely use of facility care for obstetric and newborn complications. These interventions are recommended, provided they are implemented in a way that respects, promotes and facilitates women’s choices and their autonomy in decision-making, and that supports women in taking care of themselves and their newborns

Status
Updated
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