Background
In the Gambia, a national survey from 2001 showed that over 96% of all pregnant women receive antenatal care (i.e. care while being pregnant), whilst only 30% received some form of postpartum care (i.e. care after giving birth). The study also showed that 48.3% of maternal deaths occurred in the postpartum period, meaning there is a great need for routine postpartum care services in order to identify and treat mothers with health complications.

About the project
This project was created to strengthen the integration of postpartum care as a routine in the reproductive and child health services at Faji Kunda Major Health Centre, in western Gambia. The project team worked with the nurses and midwives at the health centre, briefed them on the importance of routine postpartum care and discussed common postpartum problems and causes. The team also reviewed the health centre’s guidelines on postpartum care and made a number of changes in order to ensure that all postpartum mothers get routine health checks and appropriate treatment.

Results
Before the project, postpartum care was only offered at the health centre when the mother was unwell. Mothers also used to be discharged very shortly after giving birth. By the end of the project, mothers stayed between 6 and 12 hours after delivering their babies and almost all mothers received postpartum care on a routine basis. The health centre also implemented the use of postpartum recording forms, which helped the medical staff give mothers with health complications the correct diagnosis and treatment.

Year: 2006