Overview of Vital Care Connect’s Postnatal Services

Postnatal care is a critical, and often neglected, component of Vital Care Connect’s comprehensive Maternal and Child Health program. This service focuses on the crucial period immediately following childbirth—typically the first six weeks—which is the most vulnerable time for both the new mother and her newborn. The program is designed to monitor their health, manage complications, and provide essential support to ensure a healthy recovery and a strong start for the baby.

Primary Goals of the Program

The main objectives of the postnatal services are to:

• Prevent and Manage Postpartum Complications: To monitor the mother for life-threatening conditions like postpartum hemorrhage (excessive bleeding), infections (sepsis), and eclampsia.

• Ensure Newborn Survival and Health: To check the newborn for danger signs such as jaundice, breathing difficulties, and infection, and to promote healthy practices like immediate and exclusive breastfeeding.

• Support the Mother’s Recovery: To provide care and counseling for the mother’s physical and emotional well-being as she recovers from childbirth.

• Empower Families with Knowledge: To educate the new mother and her family on newborn care, nutrition, hygiene, and family planning.

Key Components and Services Provided

Vital Care Connect’s postnatal care program is delivered primarily through home visits by Community Health Workers and check-ups at local health facilities. The services include:

1. For the Mother:

• Health Monitoring: Checking for excessive bleeding, signs of infection (like fever), blood pressure, and ensuring the uterus is contracting properly.

• Nutritional Counseling: Advising on a healthy diet to support recovery and breastfeeding.

• Family Planning Education: Providing information and counseling on birth spacing and contraceptive options to help mothers plan their families.

• Emotional and Psychosocial Support: Offering a supportive presence and identifying signs of postpartum depression.

2. For the Newborn:

• Health Assessment: Checking the baby’s breathing, temperature, and feeding patterns. They also look for signs of jaundice and infection (especially around the umbilical cord stump).

• Breastfeeding Support: Providing hands-on guidance and encouragement for exclusive breastfeeding, including proper latching and positioning, which is vital for the baby’s nutrition and immunity.

• Immunization Linkages: Ensuring the baby receives its first essential vaccinations (like BCG and polio) according to the national schedule.

• Hygiene Education: Teaching the family how to properly care for the umbilical cord stump and maintain overall hygiene to prevent infections.

The Critical Role of Community Health Workers (CHWs)

CHWs are the backbone of the postnatal program. They conduct home visits during the first few days and weeks after birth. This proactive approach is essential because many new mothers cannot easily travel to a clinic. These visits allow CHWs to:

• Identify and address health problems early.

• Provide personalized, one-on-one counseling in a comfortable setting.

• Reinforce key health messages and ensure the family feels supported.

Impact and Importance

The postnatal period is when the majority of maternal and newborn deaths occur. By focusing on this critical window, Vital Care Connect directly addresses the leading causes of preventable deaths. Their postnatal services ensure that the continuum of care does not end at delivery, leading to:

• A significant reduction in maternal and neonatal mortality.

• Healthier mothers who recover faster.

• Thriving newborns who get the best possible start in life.

• Stronger, more informed, and empowered families.