NICE support better post-natal care
New guidelines will recommend better personalise care for mothers and babies in the first eight weeks after birth.
Posted: 27 July 2006
by Laura Lee Davies
The National Institute for Clinical Excellence has propsed better post-natal care for mothers which better suits individual needs and
situations. Best practice guidelines have just been published which take into account the best care for parents and babies
in the first eight weeks after the birth.
At the moment, a mother has a few days' supervision under the midwife team she had when her child was born, then she is encouraged to
keep in touch with the local health visitors and her GP. However, this structure is patchy, with some women getting excellent care and
others finding that they are left out of the loop or given only vague help and guidance about caring for their child but their own
well being.
The new proposals champion best practice guidelines rather than what NICE call the "tick-box approach" currently used. It encourages all carers to support mothers on issues like breastfeeding, common health problems and, interestingly, guidance about formula feeding. It refers to the Baby Friendly Initiative and recommends offering personalised careplans for each family, taking into account things like cultural needs.
For more about their proposals, you can check out their report via the NICE website.
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