LAUSR

A lack of adequate knowledge and training in breastfeeding may be felt by many GPs,3 and to increase the understanding of these common issues, an article featured in this issue discusses the essentials of expressing and supplemental feeding.4 The postnatal period provides an opportune time for health promotion and prevention, especially considering that nearly half of all women who delivered babies in 2019 were overweight or obese.5 Promoting a healthy lifestyle, with good nutrition6 and physical exercise,7 is fundamental for subsequent healthy pregnancies and for the prevention of non-communicable diseases. Nearly half of maternal deaths occur soon after birth and in the first six weeks, with the current leading cause in Australia being pre-existing cardiovascular conditions, followed by suicide.9 Mental health conditions are more likely to develop following birth than at any other stage in a womans life,10 and supporting women who may be at risk of or are vulnerable to mental health conditions is crucial to providing high-quality postnatal care.8 Regardless of your breadth of practice in managing women in the postpartum period, this is a time when we can have a significant impact on health outcomes. [...]what matters to women is a positive experience, which includes GPs listening and being responsive to individual needs, managing expectations and arranging support for both parenting and adjustment to the changes that occur within their intimate and family relationships and their roles as mothers.11 References 1.