Postpartum recovery is often overshadowed by labour and childbirth, yet the period immediately after delivery is critical to the health and survival of both mother and baby.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the first six weeks after childbirth are a critical period for the survival and wellbeing of both mothers and newborns, as well as for supporting the baby’s healthy development and the mother’s physical and mental recovery.

The WHO also recommends that women and newborns receive information, reassurance and support from health workers throughout the postnatal period.

Speaking with PT Health Watch, a retired midwife, Mary Augustine, said the weeks following childbirth are as important as labour and delivery in preventing complications and supporting the physical and mental wellbeing of mothers and their newborns.

She stressed the need for health workers to provide every new mother with practical guidance on caring for herself and her baby before discharge from the hospital.

Essential care before discharge

Mrs Augustine said mothers should be taught how to breastfeed correctly, noting that proper positioning and attachment are important for effective feeding.

She also stressed the importance of proper umbilical cord care, explaining that keeping the cord clean and dry can help prevent infections.

According to her, mothers should also be taught how to bathe their babies safely, recognise when nappies need to be changed and keep the newborn’s airway clear to reduce the risk of breathing difficulties.

She said these basic care practices are essential for protecting newborns from preventable illnesses and discomfort.

Preventable complications

Mrs Augustine noted that many women remain silent about the challenges they face after childbirth because they believe such experiences are normal.

She explained that untreated breast pain, for instance, may discourage mothers from breastfeeding, while other complications can develop within weeks after delivery if they do not receive timely care.

These include postpartum haemorrhage, puerperal sepsis, hypertension, anaemia, abdominal pain and postpartum psychosis.

She also drew attention to perineal wound dehiscence, a condition in which an episiotomy wound reopens after childbirth instead of healing properly.

The condition may present with symptoms such as persistent pain, pus, foul smelling discharge, unexpected bleeding or difficulty controlling gas or stool when deeper muscles are affected.

“If a woman is bleeding, she can give up. We see them coming back emaciated and unkempt because there is no follow up. Sometimes their bodies smell and infection sets in,” Mrs Augustine said.

She urged mothers to attend postnatal clinics even when they feel healthy.

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Why postnatal follow up matters

Mrs Augustine said the postpartum period requires continuous medical attention because serious complications can develop after a mother has been discharged from the hospital.

According to her, postnatal follow up helps health workers detect and manage excessive bleeding, infections, poor nutrition, high blood pressure and postpartum depression before they become life threatening.

She added that strengthening postpartum care and ensuring mothers receive adequate education before discharge would improve maternal and newborn health outcomes.

“Postpartum care should be treated with the same urgency as labour and delivery,” she said.

Dr Daniel Kim has been named as the running mate to the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Plateau State, Chief Kefas Ropshik Kefiano, for the 2027 governorship election.

The State Executive Committee (SEC) of the party in Plateau State unveiled the running mate following the party’s nomination of Chief John Arkson as Chairman of the party’s Elders Council. Chris Hassan is the Director-General of the party’s Campaign Organisation.

Chief Kefiano explained that despite the litigations the party had faced in recent times, the PDP remained a force to be reckoned with in Plateau State politics and Nigeria as a whole.

To ensure that the state’s zoning arrangement was preserved, Chief Kefiano explained that he was running for the governorship with the intention of serving for one term, stressing that the zoning of the governorship among the state’s three senatorial districts was sacrosanct and would be strictly adhered to.

He noted, “Previous attempts to sidestep the arrangement had been rejected by the people of the state, resulting in the loss of the governorship by the party in power.”

He stated that Plateau people are some of the most conscientious people in the country and that they always adhere to zoning regulations, assuring that he would serve for four years in one term to complete the two terms of his senatorial district.

He said that their campaign would be issue-based, lamenting that the government in the state had failed the people.

A member of the PDP Board of Trustees, Hon. Johnbull Shekarau, praised the patience and resilience members of the party had displayed in the course of the struggle for recognition, saying that these had helped the party get to where it is at the moment.

The State Chairman of the party, Hon. Peter Tongshien, explained that the names of all the party’s candidates had been submitted to the National Secretariat of the party and successfully uploaded to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) portal, assuring that the PDP was fully ready in the state to commence its campaign in line with INEC guidelines.