Improving early postpartum care in Mandiana Guinea: negotiating with families communities and maternal care providers. A summary project report.

The early postpartum period is critical to both maternal and newborn survival. More than sixty percent of all maternal deaths occur in the early postpartum period. The first week of life is a particularly vulnerable period for newborns as well when fifty to seventy percent of fatal and life-threatening illnesses occur. Program emphasis should therefore be placed on providing routine skilled care for new mothers and newborns that focuses on early detection of complications and prompt referral in addition to the conventional “fortieth day” postpartum visit. It is a particular challenge to develop early postpartum care programs that can deliver this lifesaving care in resource-poor rural areas where the majority of births occur at home in the absence of a skilled attendant. The Africa Bureau of USAID provided funding for the CHANGE Project to develop and test a model to strengthen the capacity of women and communities to participate in the development of interventions to improve maternal and newborn survival in rural Africa. Save the Children (SC/US) partnered with CHANGE from May 2001 to March 2002 to test such a model as part of their Community Health Initiative (CHI) in Guinea. (excerpt)