Amid these concerns, postpartum care is often fragmented among maternal and pediatric providers, and 20 to 40% of women do not attend a postpartum visit. Rising maternal mortality and morbidity in the US have made this work an even greater priority. Our goal is to bring together mothers, health care providers, and other stakeholders to define what families need most during the 4th Trimester.

Based on the unmet health priorities that stakeholders identify, we will design research studies to deliver optimal care during this critical period, improving outcomes for mothers, infants and families.

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Key questions

Patients: What aspects of recovery were most challenging for you? What do you wish you’d been told before birth? What questions did you have that your health providers unable to answer? What did your maternity provider say about weight gain during pregnancy & weight loss postpartum? What advice was helpful? What was not? What were your expectations for postpartum weight loss? What would be helpful to achieving those expectations? What do you consider “successful” postpartum weight loss?

Providers: What do you know about prevalence and management about common postpartum complications? What would you like to know and understand? What recommendations do you consider to be evidence-based? What concerns are unaddressed or poorly studied, and what research is needed to determine appropriate treatment? How do you discuss weight with your maternity patients? What educational materials do you offer? Have you been trained in motivational interviewing? Have staff members? Are there resources in your community to which you refer mothers?

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