Helping to make birth a happy event

For women and their families the world over, the birth of a baby they want is a happy event. Birth is a time for joy and celebration, a time for congratulations, good wishes and gifts. Sadly, not all births are happy occasions. Birth and the days and weeks immediately following (known as the postpartum period) are a crucial time for the health and well-being of mother and child. Complications may arise and things may go wrong. In fact, most maternal deaths take place in the postpartum period. Women and their babies need all the help they can get a this time to protect them from illness and to build up their strength for the future. The special feature in this issue of "Safe motherhood" looks specifically at the provision of postpartum care. It describes the problems that mothers and babies may encounter and the services that need to be on hand both to prevent these problems from occurring and to provide solutions if they do occur. The feature in this newsletter looks at postpartum care particularly from the point of view of the health worker. But the protection of the health of women and their babies at this critical time of life cannot be achieved by health workers alone. Postpartum care is the responsibility of all of us--health workers, family members, and the wider community.