Postpartum care or postnatal care is a service provided to individuals in the postpartum period, to help with postpartum recuperation and restoration. Additionally, the service aids in the transition to parenthood while mitigating any health risks. In the United States, about two‑thirds of pregnancy‑related deaths occur during the postpartum period, most of which are considered preventable; barriers such as fragmented care and lapses in insurance coverage contribute to these risks.
Traditional postpartum care Many traditional forms of postpartum confinement exist throughout the world. A 2007 qualitative systematic review examining practices across more than 20 countries found common themes including organized support for the new mother, prescribed periods of rest, specific dietary practices, hygiene rituals, and infant care guidance — allowing the mother to be "mothered" during recovery. Chinese Zuo Yuezi (sitting the month), European Lying-in, Korean Sanhujori, Japanese satogaeri bunben (returning to the natal home), and Latin American cuarentena are well-documented examples. Sanhujori is Korea's version of postpartum care. It draws on principles that emphasize activities and foods that keep the body warm, rested, and relaxed to maximize the body's return to its normal state, maintaining cleanliness, eating nutritious foods, and peace of mind and heart. The confinement period is known as samchil-il (three seven days). In Colombia, new mothers in a process called dieta are traditionally told to avoid sunlight and imbibe sancocho and hot chocolate for 40 days. Before reentering her normal routine, she takes a bath of water and herbs. In Japan, the tradition of satogaeri bunben (里帰り分娩) involves a woman returning to her parents' home for several weeks before and after childbirth to receive care from her own mother. This practice remains common in contemporary Japan, though the country has also developed a formal Postpartum Care Program offering three service types: short-term residential stays, daytime care, and home visits by midwives for up to 16 weeks after delivery. In Singapore, postpartum confinement practices are observed across all three major ethnic groups, though with distinct cultural variations. A study of 1,247 women found that 96.4% of Chinese mothers, 92.4% of Malay mothers, and 85.6% of Indian mothers followed some form of confinement practices. Chinese mothers were significantly more likely to hire a professional confinement nanny, while Malay mothers more commonly used traditional massage therapy, and Indian mothers relied primarily on their own mothers or mothers-in-law for support. In Malaysia, the postpartum confinement period is known as berpantang. A cross-sectional study at a rural maternal and child health clinic found that 66.2% of women followed traditional and complementary practices during the postpartum period, with most reporting that these practices were aimed at improving general well-being. Traditionally, women were cared for by their elders: their mother, mother-in-law, sister, or aunt. The lying-in hospitals provided an institutional variation that gave women weeks of bed rest and a respite from household chores. Increasingly, these older women are unavailable or unwilling to take on this role; given the lingering effects of the one-child policy, many older Chinese women had limited experience of newborn babies, having only had one themselves. Replacements for this familial help are commercial services, both in the home and at residential centres.
Modern commercial versions
At home Agencies provide specialist carers who come to the new parents' home. This job used to be known as the monthly nurse, as she came and lived with the family for a month. Now more common terms are maternity nurse, newborn care specialist, or confinement nanny; the worker is not a registered health care professional, such as the word "nurse" usually implies in current English. In Indian English the role is called a "japa maid". A doula is best known as a birth companion, but some provide practical and emotional post-birth support. A lactation consultant and a health visitor are trained health professionals who may assist the new mother at this time. In the Netherlands, the in-home support is known as kraamzorg, and standard within the national health insurance system. The use of yue sao, a specialist carer translated in Canada as "postpartum doula", is also very common in China. Yue sao typically are live-in domestic helpers who care for both the new mother and baby for the first month after birth. Salaries as at 2017 vary from RMB8000 to RMB20000 per month depending on city and experience. They are described as "mothering the mother". Australian documentary-maker Aela Callan called them "Chinese supermums" but says they are colloquially known as "confinement ladies".
Residential facilities Companies have sprung up to offer extended postpartum care outside the home, sometimes in a hotel-like environment. Luxury options are a business. Private postpartum care centres were introduced to Korea in 1996 under the name of sanhujoriwon. A 2023 government survey found that approximately 90% of Korean mothers now use sanhujoriwon, with maternal health recovery cited as the primary purpose by 91.2% of users. Research on maternal outcomes at these facilities has found high levels of satisfaction, with partnership between mothers and care staff and the education support systems provided being the strongest predictors of positive experiences. A quasi-experimental study also found that structured maternal role adjustment programs implemented within sanhujoriwon improved breastfeeding success and maternal role confidence among first-time mothers. Within the Chinese tradition, specialist businesses such as Red Wall Confinement Centre charge up to $27,000 for one month. In Taiwan, postpartum nursing centres are popular, for those who can afford them. Birth tourism centres operating under the radar in the United States for Chinese women offer "sitting the month". Additionally, women will often visit obstetricians, gynecologists, pediatricians, lactation consultants, and/or research staff for care and advice during postpartum.
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