About 130 million babies are born every year. Among these about 4 million dies in the first weeks of life, half of which die within 24 hours after birth and three-quarters by the end of the first week. Nearly the same number is still-born. More than 500,000 women also pay a high price until dying due to complications of pregnancy. When we come to our Ethiopia, the maternal mortality rate is 673/100,000 live births, and that of the neonatal mortality rate is 37 deaths per 1000 live births. 

These numbers are unacceptable in themselves, but what is even worse is that well over 90 percent of these deaths are concentrated in developing countries. It is universally acknowledged that women need the support of skilled birth attendants, but most of them are at the facility level. A large number of women, however, around 60 million, deliver at home without skilled care, receiving only the support of traditional birth attendants, family members, or friends. And some receive no assistance at all. 

Cultural practices associated with pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period result in mothers and babies being cloistered in their homes and not permitted to leave, even to seek appropriate care for problems and sickness. Even for the deliveries which take place at facilities, mothers and babies are discharged early, and they practically spend all of the postpartum periods at home. 

The Health Extension wWrkers can play a critical role in identifying and interacting with women of reproductive age and their families, with the community and religious leaders, and with health care providers at the higher facility level to achieve better results for pregnant women and newborn babies. 

This training module addresses some of the key issues, about the promotion and community mobilisation about postnatal care, The anatomical and physiological changes that will occur after the mother gave birth, and the health problems the mother will encounter at this critical period (the abnormal puerperium) and how it should be managed.

For instance, pre-referral management of postpartum hemorrhage and other dangerous situations related to maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity causes and also you will be addressed the conditions related to newborn baby, breastfeeding the special care to be given to preterm and low birth weight babies, care that will be given during the postnatal period especially from the time of delivery until six days after delivery for they are the critical periods in which most of the maternal and neonatal deaths will occur.

All of the principles and techniques taught in this Module will be reinforced and expanded in your practical skills training and also in the later Module on Integrated Management ofNewborn and Childhood Illness (IMNCI). 

Most of the content of this module is extracted from level IV Health Extension practitioners training program module and tailored for the level three training program.