LAUSR

Correspondence to Dr Mercedes Bonet; bonetm@ who. int © World Health Organization 2023. Licensee BMJ. The postnatal period, defined as the period immediately following the birth of the newborn to 6 weeks (42 days) after birth, is a critical time for women, newborns, parents, caregivers and families. Postnatal care services are an essential element of the maternal and newborn care continuum. The care provided during this period contributes to improved maternal and child health and wellbeing by helping to establish healthy practices, prevent disease, and detect and manage complications. It is key to foster an environment that supports the health, social and developmental needs of the woman, newborn and family unit. Yet, coverage and quality of postnatal care lag substantially behind that of both antenatal and intrapartum care, and marked inequities in the use of postnatal care persist. In line with the Sustainable Development Goals and the Global Strategy for Women Children and Adolescent Health, and in accordance with a human rightsbased approach, there is a need to broaden the objective of postnatal care to improving quality, not solely coverage and survival. The WHO has responded to the evolving global maternal, newborn and child health agenda with comprehensive guidelines to improve maternal and newborn care, with particular focus on quality of care; that is, both provision and experience of care within the health system, to support all women, newborns and families to thrive in the short term and longer term.