Beyond 6 Weeks: The Case For Midwifery Care In The Postpartum Year

Providers have historically focused on “Well-Baby Care” in the year after birth, but we are seeing parents in the 21st century calling for providers to establish methods of “Well-Mama Care” - care that focuses on the physical and emotional challenges that present after birth and throughout the postpartum year, and acknowledges that quality of life for the postpartum person matters.

So what would a “Beyond 6 Weeks” midwife- led, postpartum framework look like? Join midwife, nutritionist, educator, and mother of 3, Sarah Lax, as she explores current evidence on the postpartum recovery process, what the research tells us matters most to support the postpartum experience, and a review of innovative postpartum care models to deepen and elevate your midwifery practice.

Learning Objectives:

• Review the current state of postpartum care in the 21st century and compare with the postpartum experience of traditional cultures
• Explain the connection between maternal health and infant health after birth and in the postpartum year
• Review current research on maternal health challenges (physical, mental, emotional) that present in the year after birth and barriers to support
• Summarize the positive effects of the Midwifery Model of Care on postpartum outcomes
• Review the benefits of social support (provider-led, peer-led, and functional) in the postpartum year
• List common nutrients that are depleted after birth and their effects on thyroid health, breastfeeding babies, and maternal mood in the postpartum year
• Review the important features of a provider led postpartum care framework in the postpartum year
• Summarize innovate ways that technology can be used for postpartum education and care (hands on or hands off) throughout the year after giving birth

Approved by MEAC for 4 hours of continuing education under approval number M2021-47-0314DE, through July 31, 2023, and through approval number M2324-59-0212DE through March 31, 2026.