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Care pathway: postnatal contacts in the first six weeks

The steps an international guideline sets out for the first six weeks after birth for a healthy woman and baby: at least 24 hours of care in the facility after a facility birth, checks of the woman soon after birth, a set of checks before going home, then at least three more contacts, with home visits in the first week where possible.

  • Care pathway
  • In this atlas

Overview

Technical summary

Written as steps from Recommendations 44, 45, 1, 46, 48 and 25 of the 2022 international postnatal guideline recorded in this atlas; each step cites the claim that records the recommendation. It follows the guideline's wording for healthy women and newborns and sets no schedule for those with complications. The guideline notes that the evidence for more frequent contacts was insufficient and that the number, timing and content of contacts should be tailored to need.

Applies to

Recipient
Mixed recipients
Population
Healthy women and their newborns who receive routine postnatal care, in facilities or in the community, at any level of resources. The recommendations cover the mother and baby together, so the recipient is mixed. WHO says that, unless a recommendation states otherwise, it applies to all postpartum women and newborns.
Care setting
Facility- or community-based postnatal care at any resource level
Geography
Global (WHO guidance)
Life stage
From birth through the sixth week after birth
Gestational age
Not reported
Postnatal age
Not reported
Follow-up
Not applicable: guideline recommendations
Eligibility: 1 inclusion criterion; 1 exclusion criterion
Included
  • Healthy women and newborns
Excluded
  • Women and newborns with complications, for whom the recommendations on routine care do not set the schedule

Steps

  1. Birth in a health facility: stay for postnatal care

    If: Birth in a health facility

    Care in the facility for 24 hours or more after a vaginal birth. For caesarean birth the guideline gave no minimum time and noted that discharge within 24 hours made adverse maternal and newborn outcomes more likely and lowered breastfeeding at six weeks.

    • Recommendation Guidance Certainty not assessed

      WHO recommends at least four postnatal care contacts for healthy women and newborns. For a birth in a health facility, the first contact is the stay in the facility, which WHO sets at 24 hours or more. For a birth at home, the first contact should come as early as possible within the first day. Three further contacts follow: at 48 to 72 hours, at 7 to 14 days, and in week six. WHO gives this the category Recommended.

      Applies to Mixed recipients
      • Healthy women and their newborns who receive routine postnatal care, in facilities or in the community, at any level of resources. The recommendations cover the mother and baby together, so the recipient is mixed. WHO says that, unless a recommendation states otherwise, it applies to all postpartum women and newborns.
      • Facility- or community-based postnatal care at any resource level
      • Global (WHO guidance)
      • From birth through the sixth week after birth
      • Gestational age Not reported
      • Postnatal age Not reported
      Follow-up Not applicable: guideline recommendations
      Certainty method
      Not assessed
      Limitations
      WHO says the number, timing and content of contacts should fit the health outcomes and needs of each woman and newborn. Its guideline group found too little randomised evidence to compare more frequent contacts with fewer, and weighed epidemiological data showing that most deaths of mothers and of newborns come in the first three days after birth, with another rise in the second week. The schedule covers healthy women and newborns; it does not set care for those with complications. The recommendation text was read from the English PDF; the web supplement with the evidence base was not read.
      Last checked
      2026-10-15
      Next evidence check due
      Not scheduled
      Sources and citations (2)

      1. Supports WHO recommendations on maternal and newborn care for a positive postnatal experience

        Guideline · World Health Organization · Edition First edition, 2022. The date is the who.int page date, 30 March 2022, which the atlas uses for WHO sources and decisions; the WHO IRIS record 10665/352658 lists an issue date of 2022-03-29 for the same document. The English PDF was read from IRIS (bitstream 73dec697-c033-449c-8323-1cd04a8d8f20). The who.int page lists a corrigendum dated 26 May 2022 beside the web supplement on the evidence base (ISBN 978-92-4-004617-7), not beside the guideline; the corrigendum (mk-who-9789240046177-corrigendum.pdf) changes one source citation on page 93 of that supplement, and the supplement was not read. · Published 2022-03-30 · ISBN: 978-92-4-004598-9

        Locator
        Recommendation 44, Chapter 3, C.1
        How it applies
        WHO guideline PDF (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO); short quotation.
        Retrieved
        Source effective date
        Not reported
        Source state
        Current
        Snapshot hash
        f4cbef197fdf40d33e1c53987ba6f4e099265fe0d867724c8c2e4fb91051a071
        Reuse basis
        Licensed CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO, as stated in the IRIS record (dc.rights.uri https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/igo). Only short quotations with attribution are used, and neither the PDF nor the pages are committed. The non-commercial and share-alike terms need a licensing decision before any text is adapted.

      2. Background WHO recommendations on maternal and newborn care for a positive postnatal experience

        Guideline · World Health Organization · Edition First edition, 2022. The date is the who.int page date, 30 March 2022, which the atlas uses for WHO sources and decisions; the WHO IRIS record 10665/352658 lists an issue date of 2022-03-29 for the same document. The English PDF was read from IRIS (bitstream 73dec697-c033-449c-8323-1cd04a8d8f20). The who.int page lists a corrigendum dated 26 May 2022 beside the web supplement on the evidence base (ISBN 978-92-4-004617-7), not beside the guideline; the corrigendum (mk-who-9789240046177-corrigendum.pdf) changes one source citation on page 93 of that supplement, and the supplement was not read. · Published 2022-03-30 · ISBN: 978-92-4-004598-9

        Locator
        Recommendation 44, Remarks
        How it applies
        WHO guideline PDF (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO); short quotation.
        Retrieved
        Source effective date
        Not reported
        Source state
        Current
        Snapshot hash
        f4cbef197fdf40d33e1c53987ba6f4e099265fe0d867724c8c2e4fb91051a071
        Reuse basis
        Licensed CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO, as stated in the IRIS record (dc.rights.uri https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/igo). Only short quotations with attribution are used, and neither the PDF nor the pages are committed. The non-commercial and share-alike terms need a licensing decision before any text is adapted.

    • Recommendation Guidance Certainty not assessed

      WHO recommends that healthy women and newborns stay for care in the health facility for 24 hours or more after a vaginal birth. For caesarean birth WHO did not set a minimum time, because the evidence was thin, but it noted that discharge within 24 hours after a caesarean birth made adverse maternal and newborn outcomes more likely and lowered breastfeeding at six weeks.

      Applies to Mixed recipients
      • Healthy women and newborns cared for in a health facility after a vaginal birth. For caesarean birth WHO set no minimum stay for lack of evidence, and noted that leaving within a day of a caesarean birth made adverse maternal and newborn outcomes more likely and lowered breastfeeding at six weeks.
      • Health facility
      • Global (WHO guidance)
      • The first 24 hours after vaginal birth
      • Gestational age Not reported
      • Postnatal age Not reported
      Follow-up Not applicable: guideline recommendation
      Certainty method
      Not assessed
      Limitations
      WHO notes that the evidence for this recommendation was insufficient and that it set a minimum time because stays in some places are too short for the facility care the guideline recommends. Recommendation 44 words the facility stay as at least 24 hours after birth without naming the mode of birth, and Recommendation 45 names vaginal birth; both are recorded as written.
      Last checked
      2026-10-15
      Next evidence check due
      Not scheduled
      Sources and citations (3)

      1. Supports WHO recommendations on maternal and newborn care for a positive postnatal experience

        Guideline · World Health Organization · Edition First edition, 2022. The date is the who.int page date, 30 March 2022, which the atlas uses for WHO sources and decisions; the WHO IRIS record 10665/352658 lists an issue date of 2022-03-29 for the same document. The English PDF was read from IRIS (bitstream 73dec697-c033-449c-8323-1cd04a8d8f20). The who.int page lists a corrigendum dated 26 May 2022 beside the web supplement on the evidence base (ISBN 978-92-4-004617-7), not beside the guideline; the corrigendum (mk-who-9789240046177-corrigendum.pdf) changes one source citation on page 93 of that supplement, and the supplement was not read. · Published 2022-03-30 · ISBN: 978-92-4-004598-9

        Locator
        Recommendation 45, Chapter 3, C.2
        How it applies
        WHO guideline PDF (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO); short quotation.
        Retrieved
        Source effective date
        Not reported
        Source state
        Current
        Snapshot hash
        f4cbef197fdf40d33e1c53987ba6f4e099265fe0d867724c8c2e4fb91051a071
        Reuse basis
        Licensed CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO, as stated in the IRIS record (dc.rights.uri https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/igo). Only short quotations with attribution are used, and neither the PDF nor the pages are committed. The non-commercial and share-alike terms need a licensing decision before any text is adapted.

      2. Background WHO recommendations on maternal and newborn care for a positive postnatal experience

        Guideline · World Health Organization · Edition First edition, 2022. The date is the who.int page date, 30 March 2022, which the atlas uses for WHO sources and decisions; the WHO IRIS record 10665/352658 lists an issue date of 2022-03-29 for the same document. The English PDF was read from IRIS (bitstream 73dec697-c033-449c-8323-1cd04a8d8f20). The who.int page lists a corrigendum dated 26 May 2022 beside the web supplement on the evidence base (ISBN 978-92-4-004617-7), not beside the guideline; the corrigendum (mk-who-9789240046177-corrigendum.pdf) changes one source citation on page 93 of that supplement, and the supplement was not read. · Published 2022-03-30 · ISBN: 978-92-4-004598-9

        Locator
        Recommendation 45, Remarks
        How it applies
        WHO guideline PDF (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO); short quotation.
        Retrieved
        Source effective date
        Not reported
        Source state
        Current
        Snapshot hash
        f4cbef197fdf40d33e1c53987ba6f4e099265fe0d867724c8c2e4fb91051a071
        Reuse basis
        Licensed CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO, as stated in the IRIS record (dc.rights.uri https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/igo). Only short quotations with attribution are used, and neither the PDF nor the pages are committed. The non-commercial and share-alike terms need a licensing decision before any text is adapted.

      3. Supports WHO recommendations on maternal and newborn care for a positive postnatal experience

        Guideline · World Health Organization · Edition First edition, 2022. The date is the who.int page date, 30 March 2022, which the atlas uses for WHO sources and decisions; the WHO IRIS record 10665/352658 lists an issue date of 2022-03-29 for the same document. The English PDF was read from IRIS (bitstream 73dec697-c033-449c-8323-1cd04a8d8f20). The who.int page lists a corrigendum dated 26 May 2022 beside the web supplement on the evidence base (ISBN 978-92-4-004617-7), not beside the guideline; the corrigendum (mk-who-9789240046177-corrigendum.pdf) changes one source citation on page 93 of that supplement, and the supplement was not read. · Published 2022-03-30 · ISBN: 978-92-4-004598-9

        Locator
        Recommendation 45, Remarks (caesarean birth)
        How it applies
        WHO guideline PDF (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO); short quotation.
        Retrieved
        Source effective date
        Not reported
        Source state
        Current
        Snapshot hash
        f4cbef197fdf40d33e1c53987ba6f4e099265fe0d867724c8c2e4fb91051a071
        Reuse basis
        Licensed CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO, as stated in the IRIS record (dc.rights.uri https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/igo). Only short quotations with attribution are used, and neither the PDF nor the pages are committed. The non-commercial and share-alike terms need a licensing decision before any text is adapted.

  2. First 24 hours: regular checks of the woman

    Bleeding, uterine tone, fundal height, temperature and pulse, starting in the first hour; blood pressure soon after birth and again within 6 hours if normal; urine void documented within 6 hours.

    • Recommendation Guidance Certainty not assessed

      WHO recommends regular checks of every postpartum woman, starting in the first hour after birth and continuing through the first day: vaginal bleeding, uterine tone, fundal height, temperature and pulse. Blood pressure should be measured soon after birth and, if normal, again within 6 hours, and the urine void should be documented by the 6-hour mark. At later contacts WHO says to keep asking about general well-being and to check on urination and incontinence, bowel function, how any perineal wound is healing, headache, tiredness, back pain, perineal pain and hygiene, breast pain, uterine tenderness and lochia. WHO gives this the category Recommended.

      Applies to Maternal
      • All women after birth. The recommendation sets checks in the first 24 hours (bleeding, uterine tone, fundal height, temperature, pulse, blood pressure and urine) and topics to ask about at later contacts.
      • Facility- or community-based postnatal care
      • Global (WHO guidance)
      • The first 24 hours after birth, and each later postnatal contact
      • Gestational age Not reported
      • Postnatal age Not reported
      Follow-up Not applicable: guideline recommendation
      Certainty method
      Not assessed
      Limitations
      WHO adapted and integrated this recommendation from its 2014 postnatal care recommendations; the original rested on consensus of the guideline group based on existing WHO guidelines. The recommendation gives no blood pressure threshold or target. The recommendation text was read from the English PDF.
      Last checked
      2026-10-15
      Next evidence check due
      Not scheduled
      Sources and citations (2)

      1. Supports WHO recommendations on maternal and newborn care for a positive postnatal experience

        Guideline · World Health Organization · Edition First edition, 2022. The date is the who.int page date, 30 March 2022, which the atlas uses for WHO sources and decisions; the WHO IRIS record 10665/352658 lists an issue date of 2022-03-29 for the same document. The English PDF was read from IRIS (bitstream 73dec697-c033-449c-8323-1cd04a8d8f20). The who.int page lists a corrigendum dated 26 May 2022 beside the web supplement on the evidence base (ISBN 978-92-4-004617-7), not beside the guideline; the corrigendum (mk-who-9789240046177-corrigendum.pdf) changes one source citation on page 93 of that supplement, and the supplement was not read. · Published 2022-03-30 · ISBN: 978-92-4-004598-9

        Locator
        Recommendation 1, Chapter 3, A.1.1
        How it applies
        WHO guideline PDF (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO); short quotation.
        Retrieved
        Source effective date
        Not reported
        Source state
        Current
        Snapshot hash
        f4cbef197fdf40d33e1c53987ba6f4e099265fe0d867724c8c2e4fb91051a071
        Reuse basis
        Licensed CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO, as stated in the IRIS record (dc.rights.uri https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/igo). Only short quotations with attribution are used, and neither the PDF nor the pages are committed. The non-commercial and share-alike terms need a licensing decision before any text is adapted.

      2. Background WHO recommendations on maternal and newborn care for a positive postnatal experience

        Guideline · World Health Organization · Edition First edition, 2022. The date is the who.int page date, 30 March 2022, which the atlas uses for WHO sources and decisions; the WHO IRIS record 10665/352658 lists an issue date of 2022-03-29 for the same document. The English PDF was read from IRIS (bitstream 73dec697-c033-449c-8323-1cd04a8d8f20). The who.int page lists a corrigendum dated 26 May 2022 beside the web supplement on the evidence base (ISBN 978-92-4-004617-7), not beside the guideline; the corrigendum (mk-who-9789240046177-corrigendum.pdf) changes one source citation on page 93 of that supplement, and the supplement was not read. · Published 2022-03-30 · ISBN: 978-92-4-004598-9

        Locator
        Recommendation 1, Remarks
        How it applies
        WHO guideline PDF (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO); short quotation.
        Retrieved
        Source effective date
        Not reported
        Source state
        Current
        Snapshot hash
        f4cbef197fdf40d33e1c53987ba6f4e099265fe0d867724c8c2e4fb91051a071
        Reuse basis
        Licensed CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO, as stated in the IRIS record (dc.rights.uri https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/igo). Only short quotations with attribution are used, and neither the PDF nor the pages are committed. The non-commercial and share-alike terms need a licensing decision before any text is adapted.

  3. Before leaving the facility: discharge criteria

    Assess physical and emotional well-being, the skills and confidence to care for herself and the newborn, and the home environment.

    • Recommendation Guidance Certainty not assessed

      WHO recommends that health workers, before a woman and her newborn leave a health facility after birth, assess three things to improve maternal and newborn outcomes: the physical well-being of the woman and baby together with the emotional well-being of the woman; how skilled and confident the woman is in caring for herself, and the parents and caregivers in caring for the newborn; and the home setting and other things that affect care there, including whether care is sought. WHO gives this the category Recommended.

      Applies to Mixed recipients
      • Women and newborns being discharged from a health facility to the home after birth. WHO took the criteria from discharge criteria found in policy and research documents on women and term newborns with no complications.
      • Health facility
      • Global (WHO guidance)
      • At discharge after birth
      • Gestational age Not reported
      • Postnatal age Not reported
      Follow-up Not applicable: guideline recommendation
      Certainty method
      Not assessed
      Limitations
      WHO says the scoping review behind the criteria did not look at what happens when such criteria are used at discharge, so the recommendation does not rest on evidence that using them changes outcomes. The recommendation text was read from the English PDF.
      Last checked
      2026-10-15
      Next evidence check due
      Not scheduled
      Sources and citations (2)

      1. Supports WHO recommendations on maternal and newborn care for a positive postnatal experience

        Guideline · World Health Organization · Edition First edition, 2022. The date is the who.int page date, 30 March 2022, which the atlas uses for WHO sources and decisions; the WHO IRIS record 10665/352658 lists an issue date of 2022-03-29 for the same document. The English PDF was read from IRIS (bitstream 73dec697-c033-449c-8323-1cd04a8d8f20). The who.int page lists a corrigendum dated 26 May 2022 beside the web supplement on the evidence base (ISBN 978-92-4-004617-7), not beside the guideline; the corrigendum (mk-who-9789240046177-corrigendum.pdf) changes one source citation on page 93 of that supplement, and the supplement was not read. · Published 2022-03-30 · ISBN: 978-92-4-004598-9

        Locator
        Recommendation 46, Chapter 3, C.3
        How it applies
        WHO guideline PDF (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO); short quotation.
        Retrieved
        Source effective date
        Not reported
        Source state
        Current
        Snapshot hash
        f4cbef197fdf40d33e1c53987ba6f4e099265fe0d867724c8c2e4fb91051a071
        Reuse basis
        Licensed CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO, as stated in the IRIS record (dc.rights.uri https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/igo). Only short quotations with attribution are used, and neither the PDF nor the pages are committed. The non-commercial and share-alike terms need a licensing decision before any text is adapted.

      2. Background WHO recommendations on maternal and newborn care for a positive postnatal experience

        Guideline · World Health Organization · Edition First edition, 2022. The date is the who.int page date, 30 March 2022, which the atlas uses for WHO sources and decisions; the WHO IRIS record 10665/352658 lists an issue date of 2022-03-29 for the same document. The English PDF was read from IRIS (bitstream 73dec697-c033-449c-8323-1cd04a8d8f20). The who.int page lists a corrigendum dated 26 May 2022 beside the web supplement on the evidence base (ISBN 978-92-4-004617-7), not beside the guideline; the corrigendum (mk-who-9789240046177-corrigendum.pdf) changes one source citation on page 93 of that supplement, and the supplement was not read. · Published 2022-03-30 · ISBN: 978-92-4-004598-9

        Locator
        Recommendation 46, Summary of evidence
        How it applies
        WHO guideline PDF (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO); short quotation.
        Retrieved
        Source effective date
        Not reported
        Source state
        Current
        Snapshot hash
        f4cbef197fdf40d33e1c53987ba6f4e099265fe0d867724c8c2e4fb91051a071
        Reuse basis
        Licensed CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO, as stated in the IRIS record (dc.rights.uri https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/igo). Only short quotations with attribution are used, and neither the PDF nor the pages are committed. The non-commercial and share-alike terms need a licensing decision before any text is adapted.

  4. Birth at home: first contact within 24 hours

    If: Birth at home

    The first postnatal contact should come as early as possible, within the first day.

    • Recommendation Guidance Certainty not assessed

      WHO recommends at least four postnatal care contacts for healthy women and newborns. For a birth in a health facility, the first contact is the stay in the facility, which WHO sets at 24 hours or more. For a birth at home, the first contact should come as early as possible within the first day. Three further contacts follow: at 48 to 72 hours, at 7 to 14 days, and in week six. WHO gives this the category Recommended.

      Applies to Mixed recipients
      • Healthy women and their newborns who receive routine postnatal care, in facilities or in the community, at any level of resources. The recommendations cover the mother and baby together, so the recipient is mixed. WHO says that, unless a recommendation states otherwise, it applies to all postpartum women and newborns.
      • Facility- or community-based postnatal care at any resource level
      • Global (WHO guidance)
      • From birth through the sixth week after birth
      • Gestational age Not reported
      • Postnatal age Not reported
      Follow-up Not applicable: guideline recommendations
      Certainty method
      Not assessed
      Limitations
      WHO says the number, timing and content of contacts should fit the health outcomes and needs of each woman and newborn. Its guideline group found too little randomised evidence to compare more frequent contacts with fewer, and weighed epidemiological data showing that most deaths of mothers and of newborns come in the first three days after birth, with another rise in the second week. The schedule covers healthy women and newborns; it does not set care for those with complications. The recommendation text was read from the English PDF; the web supplement with the evidence base was not read.
      Last checked
      2026-10-15
      Next evidence check due
      Not scheduled
      Sources and citations (2)

      1. Supports WHO recommendations on maternal and newborn care for a positive postnatal experience

        Guideline · World Health Organization · Edition First edition, 2022. The date is the who.int page date, 30 March 2022, which the atlas uses for WHO sources and decisions; the WHO IRIS record 10665/352658 lists an issue date of 2022-03-29 for the same document. The English PDF was read from IRIS (bitstream 73dec697-c033-449c-8323-1cd04a8d8f20). The who.int page lists a corrigendum dated 26 May 2022 beside the web supplement on the evidence base (ISBN 978-92-4-004617-7), not beside the guideline; the corrigendum (mk-who-9789240046177-corrigendum.pdf) changes one source citation on page 93 of that supplement, and the supplement was not read. · Published 2022-03-30 · ISBN: 978-92-4-004598-9

        Locator
        Recommendation 44, Chapter 3, C.1
        How it applies
        WHO guideline PDF (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO); short quotation.
        Retrieved
        Source effective date
        Not reported
        Source state
        Current
        Snapshot hash
        f4cbef197fdf40d33e1c53987ba6f4e099265fe0d867724c8c2e4fb91051a071
        Reuse basis
        Licensed CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO, as stated in the IRIS record (dc.rights.uri https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/igo). Only short quotations with attribution are used, and neither the PDF nor the pages are committed. The non-commercial and share-alike terms need a licensing decision before any text is adapted.

      2. Background WHO recommendations on maternal and newborn care for a positive postnatal experience

        Guideline · World Health Organization · Edition First edition, 2022. The date is the who.int page date, 30 March 2022, which the atlas uses for WHO sources and decisions; the WHO IRIS record 10665/352658 lists an issue date of 2022-03-29 for the same document. The English PDF was read from IRIS (bitstream 73dec697-c033-449c-8323-1cd04a8d8f20). The who.int page lists a corrigendum dated 26 May 2022 beside the web supplement on the evidence base (ISBN 978-92-4-004617-7), not beside the guideline; the corrigendum (mk-who-9789240046177-corrigendum.pdf) changes one source citation on page 93 of that supplement, and the supplement was not read. · Published 2022-03-30 · ISBN: 978-92-4-004598-9

        Locator
        Recommendation 44, Remarks
        How it applies
        WHO guideline PDF (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO); short quotation.
        Retrieved
        Source effective date
        Not reported
        Source state
        Current
        Snapshot hash
        f4cbef197fdf40d33e1c53987ba6f4e099265fe0d867724c8c2e4fb91051a071
        Reuse basis
        Licensed CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO, as stated in the IRIS record (dc.rights.uri https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/igo). Only short quotations with attribution are used, and neither the PDF nor the pages are committed. The non-commercial and share-alike terms need a licensing decision before any text is adapted.

  5. Three more contacts

    At 48 to 72 hours, at 7 to 14 days and in week six. Home visits in the first week are recommended; where they cannot be done or are not preferred, outpatient contacts are.

    • Recommendation Guidance Certainty not assessed

      WHO recommends at least four postnatal care contacts for healthy women and newborns. For a birth in a health facility, the first contact is the stay in the facility, which WHO sets at 24 hours or more. For a birth at home, the first contact should come as early as possible within the first day. Three further contacts follow: at 48 to 72 hours, at 7 to 14 days, and in week six. WHO gives this the category Recommended.

      Applies to Mixed recipients
      • Healthy women and their newborns who receive routine postnatal care, in facilities or in the community, at any level of resources. The recommendations cover the mother and baby together, so the recipient is mixed. WHO says that, unless a recommendation states otherwise, it applies to all postpartum women and newborns.
      • Facility- or community-based postnatal care at any resource level
      • Global (WHO guidance)
      • From birth through the sixth week after birth
      • Gestational age Not reported
      • Postnatal age Not reported
      Follow-up Not applicable: guideline recommendations
      Certainty method
      Not assessed
      Limitations
      WHO says the number, timing and content of contacts should fit the health outcomes and needs of each woman and newborn. Its guideline group found too little randomised evidence to compare more frequent contacts with fewer, and weighed epidemiological data showing that most deaths of mothers and of newborns come in the first three days after birth, with another rise in the second week. The schedule covers healthy women and newborns; it does not set care for those with complications. The recommendation text was read from the English PDF; the web supplement with the evidence base was not read.
      Last checked
      2026-10-15
      Next evidence check due
      Not scheduled
      Sources and citations (2)

      1. Supports WHO recommendations on maternal and newborn care for a positive postnatal experience

        Guideline · World Health Organization · Edition First edition, 2022. The date is the who.int page date, 30 March 2022, which the atlas uses for WHO sources and decisions; the WHO IRIS record 10665/352658 lists an issue date of 2022-03-29 for the same document. The English PDF was read from IRIS (bitstream 73dec697-c033-449c-8323-1cd04a8d8f20). The who.int page lists a corrigendum dated 26 May 2022 beside the web supplement on the evidence base (ISBN 978-92-4-004617-7), not beside the guideline; the corrigendum (mk-who-9789240046177-corrigendum.pdf) changes one source citation on page 93 of that supplement, and the supplement was not read. · Published 2022-03-30 · ISBN: 978-92-4-004598-9

        Locator
        Recommendation 44, Chapter 3, C.1
        How it applies
        WHO guideline PDF (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO); short quotation.
        Retrieved
        Source effective date
        Not reported
        Source state
        Current
        Snapshot hash
        f4cbef197fdf40d33e1c53987ba6f4e099265fe0d867724c8c2e4fb91051a071
        Reuse basis
        Licensed CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO, as stated in the IRIS record (dc.rights.uri https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/igo). Only short quotations with attribution are used, and neither the PDF nor the pages are committed. The non-commercial and share-alike terms need a licensing decision before any text is adapted.

      2. Background WHO recommendations on maternal and newborn care for a positive postnatal experience

        Guideline · World Health Organization · Edition First edition, 2022. The date is the who.int page date, 30 March 2022, which the atlas uses for WHO sources and decisions; the WHO IRIS record 10665/352658 lists an issue date of 2022-03-29 for the same document. The English PDF was read from IRIS (bitstream 73dec697-c033-449c-8323-1cd04a8d8f20). The who.int page lists a corrigendum dated 26 May 2022 beside the web supplement on the evidence base (ISBN 978-92-4-004617-7), not beside the guideline; the corrigendum (mk-who-9789240046177-corrigendum.pdf) changes one source citation on page 93 of that supplement, and the supplement was not read. · Published 2022-03-30 · ISBN: 978-92-4-004598-9

        Locator
        Recommendation 44, Remarks
        How it applies
        WHO guideline PDF (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO); short quotation.
        Retrieved
        Source effective date
        Not reported
        Source state
        Current
        Snapshot hash
        f4cbef197fdf40d33e1c53987ba6f4e099265fe0d867724c8c2e4fb91051a071
        Reuse basis
        Licensed CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO, as stated in the IRIS record (dc.rights.uri https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/igo). Only short quotations with attribution are used, and neither the PDF nor the pages are committed. The non-commercial and share-alike terms need a licensing decision before any text is adapted.

    • Recommendation Guidance Certainty not assessed

      WHO recommends home visits in the first week after birth for healthy women and newborns, carried out by skilled health personnel or by a trained community health worker. If home visits cannot be done or are not wanted, WHO recommends outpatient postnatal contacts instead. WHO gives this the category Recommended.

      Applies to Mixed recipients
      • Healthy women and their newborns who receive routine postnatal care, in facilities or in the community, at any level of resources. The recommendations cover the mother and baby together, so the recipient is mixed. WHO says that, unless a recommendation states otherwise, it applies to all postpartum women and newborns.
      • Facility- or community-based postnatal care at any resource level
      • Global (WHO guidance)
      • From birth through the sixth week after birth
      • Gestational age Not reported
      • Postnatal age Not reported
      Follow-up Not applicable: guideline recommendations
      Certainty method
      Not assessed
      Limitations
      WHO notes that the trials which showed fewer newborn deaths were mostly in rural, low-resource settings where health services were hard to reach. The recommendation does not give the content of the visit beyond what the guideline recommends elsewhere. The recommendation text was read from the English PDF.
      Last checked
      2026-10-15
      Next evidence check due
      Not scheduled
      Sources and citations (2)

      1. Supports WHO recommendations on maternal and newborn care for a positive postnatal experience

        Guideline · World Health Organization · Edition First edition, 2022. The date is the who.int page date, 30 March 2022, which the atlas uses for WHO sources and decisions; the WHO IRIS record 10665/352658 lists an issue date of 2022-03-29 for the same document. The English PDF was read from IRIS (bitstream 73dec697-c033-449c-8323-1cd04a8d8f20). The who.int page lists a corrigendum dated 26 May 2022 beside the web supplement on the evidence base (ISBN 978-92-4-004617-7), not beside the guideline; the corrigendum (mk-who-9789240046177-corrigendum.pdf) changes one source citation on page 93 of that supplement, and the supplement was not read. · Published 2022-03-30 · ISBN: 978-92-4-004598-9

        Locator
        Recommendation 48, Chapter 3, C.5
        How it applies
        WHO guideline PDF (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO); short quotation.
        Retrieved
        Source effective date
        Not reported
        Source state
        Current
        Snapshot hash
        f4cbef197fdf40d33e1c53987ba6f4e099265fe0d867724c8c2e4fb91051a071
        Reuse basis
        Licensed CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO, as stated in the IRIS record (dc.rights.uri https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/igo). Only short quotations with attribution are used, and neither the PDF nor the pages are committed. The non-commercial and share-alike terms need a licensing decision before any text is adapted.

      2. Background WHO recommendations on maternal and newborn care for a positive postnatal experience

        Guideline · World Health Organization · Edition First edition, 2022. The date is the who.int page date, 30 March 2022, which the atlas uses for WHO sources and decisions; the WHO IRIS record 10665/352658 lists an issue date of 2022-03-29 for the same document. The English PDF was read from IRIS (bitstream 73dec697-c033-449c-8323-1cd04a8d8f20). The who.int page lists a corrigendum dated 26 May 2022 beside the web supplement on the evidence base (ISBN 978-92-4-004617-7), not beside the guideline; the corrigendum (mk-who-9789240046177-corrigendum.pdf) changes one source citation on page 93 of that supplement, and the supplement was not read. · Published 2022-03-30 · ISBN: 978-92-4-004598-9

        Locator
        Recommendation 48, Remarks
        How it applies
        WHO guideline PDF (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO); short quotation.
        Retrieved
        Source effective date
        Not reported
        Source state
        Current
        Snapshot hash
        f4cbef197fdf40d33e1c53987ba6f4e099265fe0d867724c8c2e4fb91051a071
        Reuse basis
        Licensed CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO, as stated in the IRIS record (dc.rights.uri https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/igo). Only short quotations with attribution are used, and neither the PDF nor the pages are committed. The non-commercial and share-alike terms need a licensing decision before any text is adapted.

  6. At each contact: check the woman and look for danger signs in the newborn

    Ask about general well-being and the topics the guideline lists; assess the newborn for the listed danger signs and refer if any is present.

    • Recommendation Guidance Certainty not assessed

      WHO recommends regular checks of every postpartum woman, starting in the first hour after birth and continuing through the first day: vaginal bleeding, uterine tone, fundal height, temperature and pulse. Blood pressure should be measured soon after birth and, if normal, again within 6 hours, and the urine void should be documented by the 6-hour mark. At later contacts WHO says to keep asking about general well-being and to check on urination and incontinence, bowel function, how any perineal wound is healing, headache, tiredness, back pain, perineal pain and hygiene, breast pain, uterine tenderness and lochia. WHO gives this the category Recommended.

      Applies to Maternal
      • All women after birth. The recommendation sets checks in the first 24 hours (bleeding, uterine tone, fundal height, temperature, pulse, blood pressure and urine) and topics to ask about at later contacts.
      • Facility- or community-based postnatal care
      • Global (WHO guidance)
      • The first 24 hours after birth, and each later postnatal contact
      • Gestational age Not reported
      • Postnatal age Not reported
      Follow-up Not applicable: guideline recommendation
      Certainty method
      Not assessed
      Limitations
      WHO adapted and integrated this recommendation from its 2014 postnatal care recommendations; the original rested on consensus of the guideline group based on existing WHO guidelines. The recommendation gives no blood pressure threshold or target. The recommendation text was read from the English PDF.
      Last checked
      2026-10-15
      Next evidence check due
      Not scheduled
      Sources and citations (2)

      1. Supports WHO recommendations on maternal and newborn care for a positive postnatal experience

        Guideline · World Health Organization · Edition First edition, 2022. The date is the who.int page date, 30 March 2022, which the atlas uses for WHO sources and decisions; the WHO IRIS record 10665/352658 lists an issue date of 2022-03-29 for the same document. The English PDF was read from IRIS (bitstream 73dec697-c033-449c-8323-1cd04a8d8f20). The who.int page lists a corrigendum dated 26 May 2022 beside the web supplement on the evidence base (ISBN 978-92-4-004617-7), not beside the guideline; the corrigendum (mk-who-9789240046177-corrigendum.pdf) changes one source citation on page 93 of that supplement, and the supplement was not read. · Published 2022-03-30 · ISBN: 978-92-4-004598-9

        Locator
        Recommendation 1, Chapter 3, A.1.1
        How it applies
        WHO guideline PDF (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO); short quotation.
        Retrieved
        Source effective date
        Not reported
        Source state
        Current
        Snapshot hash
        f4cbef197fdf40d33e1c53987ba6f4e099265fe0d867724c8c2e4fb91051a071
        Reuse basis
        Licensed CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO, as stated in the IRIS record (dc.rights.uri https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/igo). Only short quotations with attribution are used, and neither the PDF nor the pages are committed. The non-commercial and share-alike terms need a licensing decision before any text is adapted.

      2. Background WHO recommendations on maternal and newborn care for a positive postnatal experience

        Guideline · World Health Organization · Edition First edition, 2022. The date is the who.int page date, 30 March 2022, which the atlas uses for WHO sources and decisions; the WHO IRIS record 10665/352658 lists an issue date of 2022-03-29 for the same document. The English PDF was read from IRIS (bitstream 73dec697-c033-449c-8323-1cd04a8d8f20). The who.int page lists a corrigendum dated 26 May 2022 beside the web supplement on the evidence base (ISBN 978-92-4-004617-7), not beside the guideline; the corrigendum (mk-who-9789240046177-corrigendum.pdf) changes one source citation on page 93 of that supplement, and the supplement was not read. · Published 2022-03-30 · ISBN: 978-92-4-004598-9

        Locator
        Recommendation 1, Remarks
        How it applies
        WHO guideline PDF (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO); short quotation.
        Retrieved
        Source effective date
        Not reported
        Source state
        Current
        Snapshot hash
        f4cbef197fdf40d33e1c53987ba6f4e099265fe0d867724c8c2e4fb91051a071
        Reuse basis
        Licensed CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO, as stated in the IRIS record (dc.rights.uri https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/igo). Only short quotations with attribution are used, and neither the PDF nor the pages are committed. The non-commercial and share-alike terms need a licensing decision before any text is adapted.

    • Recommendation Guidance Certainty not assessed

      WHO recommends checking a newborn at every postnatal contact for these signs, and referring the newborn for further evaluation if any is found: "not feeding well"; "history of convulsions"; "fast breathing (breathing rate > 60 per minute)"; "severe chest in-drawing"; "no spontaneous movement"; "fever (temperature > 37.5 °C)"; "low body temperature (temperature < 35.5 °C)"; and "any jaundice in first 24 hours after birth, or yellow palms and soles at any age". WHO adds that parents and family should be urged to get care early if they notice such signs between visits. WHO gives this the category Recommended.

      Applies to Newborn
      • Newborns seen at postnatal care contacts. WHO adapted and integrated the recommendation from its 2014 postnatal care recommendations.
      • Facility- or community-based postnatal care
      • Global (WHO guidance)
      • Each postnatal care contact in the first weeks after birth
      • Gestational age Not reported
      • Postnatal age Not reported
      Follow-up Not applicable: guideline recommendation
      Certainty method
      Not assessed
      Limitations
      This is a list of signs in the newborn, not in the mother. WHO adapted and integrated the recommendation from its 2014 postnatal care recommendations. The recommendation text was read from the English PDF.
      Last checked
      2026-10-15
      Next evidence check due
      Not scheduled
      Sources and citations (1)

      1. Supports WHO recommendations on maternal and newborn care for a positive postnatal experience

        Guideline · World Health Organization · Edition First edition, 2022. The date is the who.int page date, 30 March 2022, which the atlas uses for WHO sources and decisions; the WHO IRIS record 10665/352658 lists an issue date of 2022-03-29 for the same document. The English PDF was read from IRIS (bitstream 73dec697-c033-449c-8323-1cd04a8d8f20). The who.int page lists a corrigendum dated 26 May 2022 beside the web supplement on the evidence base (ISBN 978-92-4-004617-7), not beside the guideline; the corrigendum (mk-who-9789240046177-corrigendum.pdf) changes one source citation on page 93 of that supplement, and the supplement was not read. · Published 2022-03-30 · ISBN: 978-92-4-004598-9

        Locator
        Recommendation 25, Chapter 3, B.1.1
        How it applies
        WHO guideline PDF (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO); short quotation.
        Retrieved
        Source effective date
        Not reported
        Source state
        Current
        Snapshot hash
        f4cbef197fdf40d33e1c53987ba6f4e099265fe0d867724c8c2e4fb91051a071
        Reuse basis
        Licensed CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO, as stated in the IRIS record (dc.rights.uri https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/igo). Only short quotations with attribution are used, and neither the PDF nor the pages are committed. The non-commercial and share-alike terms need a licensing decision before any text is adapted.

Record details

Record id
maternal:care-pathway-postnatal-contacts
Content hash
861e1017e30c345e294e83ffa165872b13346bd59198b7d5b1055eb6a9b4b322