Integrated Maternal and Newborn Care Basic Skills Course ...

POSTPARTUM CARE
Ideally a comprehensive examination of the woman should be performed at one hour and six
hours after delivery and before discharge from the health care facility. For women who are not
having any problems, the following schedule for routine postpartum visits may be sufficient:
Table 9. Schedule for routine postpartum visits
Visits
Timing
1 st Visit
Within the first week postpartum,
preferably within 2 or 3 days
2 nd Visit 4-6 weeks
During a routine postpartum visit, a skilled provider will:
• perform a rapid assessment to recognize danger signs and signs/symptoms of
complications or problems and respond immediately and appropriately.
• detect pregnancy-related complications, hemorrhage, medical conditions, and infections
by:
o taking a detailed history to identify any problems/potential problems; social problems,
medical problems, problems during the most recent pregnancy and birth; and
reported symptoms/problems.
o performing a physical, obstetrical, and gynecological exam.
o if the woman’s HIV status is positive, carrying out clinical staging and assessing for
opportunistic infections.
Figure 7.1. Routine postpartum physical, obstetrical, and gynecological exam
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Integrated maternal and newborn care
Basic skills course