Editing Childbirth (section)

==== Postpartum period ====
{{Further|Postpartum period|3=Postpartum physiological changes|4=Parental leave}}
[[File:Geburt 01.jpg|thumb|Newborn rests as caregiver checks breath sounds.]]
[[Postpartum period|Postpartum]], sometimes termed the fourth stage of labour, is the period beginning immediately after childbirth, and extends for about six weeks. The terms ''postpartum'' and ''postnatal'' are often used for this period.<ref name="pmid2001778">{{cite journal | vauthors = Gjerdingen DK, Froberg DG | title = The fourth stage of labor: the health of birth mothers and adoptive mothers at six-weeks postpartum | journal = Family Medicine | volume = 23 | issue = 1 | pages = 29–35 | date = January 1991 | pmid = 2001778 }}</ref> The woman's body, including hormone levels and uterus size, return to a non-pregnant state and the newborn adjusts to life outside the mother's body.  The [[World Health Organization]] (WHO) describes the postnatal period as the most critical and yet the most neglected phase in the lives of mothers and babies; most deaths occur during the postnatal period.<ref name="WHO postnatal care">{{cite web | url=https://www.who.int/maternal_child_adolescent/documents/postnatal-care-recommendations/en/ | title=WHO recommendations on postnatal care of the mother and newborn | publisher=World Health Organization | date=2013 | access-date=22 December 2014 | author=WHO | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141222172315/http://www.who.int/maternal_child_adolescent/documents/postnatal-care-recommendations/en/ | archive-date=22 December 2014 }}</ref>

Following the birth, if the mother had an [[episiotomy]] or a tearing of the [[perineum]], it is stitched. This is also an optimal time for uptake of [[long-acting reversible contraception]] (LARC), such as the [[contraceptive implant]] or [[intrauterine device]] (IUD), both of which can be inserted immediately after delivery while the woman is still in the delivery room.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Whitaker|first1=Amy K.|last2=Chen|first2=Beatrice A.|publication-date=January 2018|title=Society of Family Planning Guidelines: Postplacental insertion of intrauterine devices|journal=Contraception|volume=97|issue=1|pages=2–13|doi=10.1016/j.contraception.2017.09.014|issn=0010-7824|date=5 October 2017|pmid=28987293|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.acog.org/en/Clinical/Clinical%20Guidance/Committee%20Opinion/Articles/2016/08/Immediate%20Postpartum%20Long-Acting%20Reversible%20Contraception|title=Immediate Postpartum Long-Acting Reversible Contraception|website=www.acog.org|language=en|access-date=20 April 2020|archive-date=22 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200722134522/https://www.acog.org/en/Clinical/Clinical%20Guidance/Committee%20Opinion/Articles/2016/08/Immediate%20Postpartum%20Long-Acting%20Reversible%20Contraception|url-status=live}}</ref> The mother has regular assessments for uterine contraction and [[fundal height]],<ref name="Maternal-Newborn Care">{{cite web | url=http://www.atitesting.com/ati_next_gen/skillsmodules/content/maternal-newborn/equipment/postpart_assessment.html | title=Postpartum Assessment | publisher=ATI Nursing Education | access-date=24 December 2014 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141224072821/http://www.atitesting.com/ati_next_gen/skillsmodules/content/maternal-newborn/equipment/postpart_assessment.html | archive-date=24 December 2014 | df=dmy-all }}</ref> vaginal bleeding, heart rate and blood pressure, and temperature, for the first 24 hours after birth. Some women may experience an uncontrolled episode of shivering or [[postpartum chills]] following the birth. The first passing of urine should be documented within six hours.<ref name="WHO postnatal care"/> Afterpains (pains similar to menstrual cramps), contractions of the uterus to prevent excessive blood flow, continue for several days. Vaginal discharge, termed "[[lochia]]", can be expected to continue for several weeks; initially bright red, it gradually becomes pink, changing to brown, and finally to yellow or white.<ref name="Labor and Delivery: Postpartum Care">{{cite web | url=http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/labor-and-delivery/in-depth/postpartum-care/art-20047233 | title=Postpartum care: What to expect after a vaginal delivery | publisher=Mayo Clinic | access-date=23 December 2014 | author=Mayo clinic staff | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141221202550/http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/labor-and-delivery/in-depth/postpartum-care/art-20047233 | archive-date=21 December 2014 }}</ref>

At one time babies born in hospitals were removed from their mothers shortly after birth and brought to the mother only at feeding times.<ref>{{cite web |title=Rooming-in: An Essential Evolution in American Maternity Care |url=https://www.nichq.org/insight/rooming-essential-evolution-american-maternity-care |website=NICHO |date=28 April 2016 |access-date=7 June 2022 |archive-date=28 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220528034609/https://nichq.org/insight/rooming-essential-evolution-american-maternity-care |url-status=live }}</ref> Mothers were told that their newborns would be safer in the nursery and that the separation would offer the mothers more time to rest.  As attitudes began to change, some hospitals offered a "rooming in" option wherein after a period of routine hospital procedures and observation, the infant could be allowed to share the mother's room. As of 2020, [[rooming-in]] has increasingly become standard practice in maternity wards.<ref>"Rooming-in: An Essential Evolution in American Maternity Care", By Jennifer Usianov. ''National Institute for Children's Health Quality''. {{cite web|url=https://www.nichq.org/insight/rooming-essential-evolution-american-maternity-care |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417183052/https://www.nichq.org/insight/rooming-essential-evolution-american-maternity-care |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 April 2021 |title=Rooming-in: An Essential Evolution in American Maternity Care |date=28 April 2016 }} Retrieved 1 November 2021.</ref>