Postpartum recovery: what does it take to get back to a baseline?

Area of Science:

• Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Maternal Health
• Postpartum Care

Background:

• The postpartum period involves significant physical and psychological adjustments for new mothers.
• Key recovery aspects include sleep, bonding, breastfeeding, and family integration.
• Inpatient recovery is influenced by pain, comfort, and infant care abilities, while outpatient recovery involves psychosocial factors, physical function, and maternal experience.

Purpose of the Study:

• To discuss various aspects of inpatient and outpatient postpartum recovery.
• To highlight the limited existing guidance on assessing postpartum recovery.
• To identify key domains impacting recovery in both inpatient and outpatient settings.

Main Methods:

• Review of current literature on postpartum recovery assessment.
• Discussion of factors influencing inpatient recovery quality.
• Exploration of domains relevant to outpatient postpartum recovery.

Main Results:

• Postpartum recovery encompasses numerous domains, including physical, psychological, and infant-related factors.
• Inpatient recovery is affected by pain, comfort, and ability to care for the newborn.
• Outpatient recovery involves psychosocial well-being, physical function, and the overall motherhood experience.

Conclusions:

• Postpartum recovery is complex and likely extends beyond six weeks, with no established consensus on duration.
• The Obstetric Quality of Recovery (ObsQoR) is recommended for inpatient assessment.
• Further research is needed to develop and validate optimal assessment tools for outpatient postpartum recovery.