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early childhood death. Two percent of births were reported to be 2.5 kilograms or more. In the absence
of birth weight, a mother’s assessment of the size of the baby at birth, even though subjective, may be
a useful measure of the survival chances of a child. Six percent of births were reported to be very small,
28 percent smaller than average, and 66 percent average or larger than average. Rural births are more
likely to be reported by mothers as small or smaller than average than urban births, as are births in the
Affar Region than other regions. A relatively high percentage of births (26 percent) in the Tigray Region
are also reported to be very small; however, this region also has the lowest number of births reported
as smaller than average. Twenty-nine percent of births to uneducated mothers are reported to be smaller
than average at birth, compared with 24 percent of births to mothers with primary education and 17
percent of births to mothers with at least secondary education.
10.9 POSTNATAL CARE
A large proportion of maternal and neonatal deaths occurs during the 48 hours after delivery.
Safe motherhood programs have recently increased their emphasis on the importance of postnatal care,
recommending that all women receive a check on their health within two days of delivery. To assess the
extent of postnatal care utilization, respondents were asked whether they had received a health check
after the delivery of their last birth in the five years preceding the survey. Table 10.9 shows the timing
of postnatal care for women who had a birth that occurred outside of a health facility only since it is
assumed that postnatal care is part of routine care for institutional deliveries.
Postnatal care coverage is extremely low in Ethiopia. Nine in ten mothers received no postnatal
care at all. Of those who received postnatal care, half (5 percent) are women who delivered in a health
facility. Only 8 percent of mothers received postnatal care within the crucial first two days of delivery,
and 1 percent received care three to seven days after delivery.
There are no marked variations in the utilization of postnatal care services within the first two
days of birth, by mother’s age. A relatively higher percentage of mothers who have delivered for the first
time received postnatal care within the first two days than mothers with two or more children. There are
significant differences in the receipt of postnatal care between urban and rural women. Thirty-eight
percent of mothers in urban areas received postnatal care within two days of birth, compared with 4
percent of mothers in rural areas. The utilization of timely postnatal care ranges from a low of less than
4 percent of mothers in the Amhara Region to a high of 69 percent in Addis Ababa. Mother’s education
impacts the utilization of postnatal care. Four percent of mothers with no education received postnatal
care, compared with 48 percent of mothers with at least primary education.
Maternal and Child Health * 121