21/10/2026
Top tip: Postpartum care is SOOO overlooked in the maternity system but it sets the foundation for parenting and can be the make or break period for new parents.
More than 1 in 3 women experience a health problem that persists after childbirth.
The WHO reports ongoing issues including pelvic floor symptoms, urinary and a**l incontinence, perineal pain, anxiety and depression — many of which can go unnoticed or untreated.
And this is exactly why regular postpartum care matters.
It’s an opportunity to assess how you’re actually recovering, physically and emotionally, and to identify concerns early.
That might mean:
• pelvic floor and continence assessment
• wound and physical recovery
• breastfeeding and feeding support
• contraception and reproductive health
• sleep and adjustment to parenthood
• mental health
• returning to exercise and activity
• talking through your birth experience
• simply having someone ask, “How are YOU doing?”
Evidence supports ongoing, individualised postpartum support, rather than treating the six-week check as the finish line.
You grew a whole human. Your recovery deserves more than one appointment.
Sources: WHO, More than a third of women experience lasting health problems after childbirth (2023); Cochrane Review, Interventions for preventing and treating postpartum depression.
