Your Postpartum Care Team
Your Postpartum Care Team (Text Version)
Before your baby is born, take time to build a postpartum care team. These are the people who will support you and your baby in your first months together. Talk with your obstetrician–gynecologist (ob-gyn) or other obstetric care provider about who you need on your team.
[Illustration of a woman cradling her baby]
Your Family and Friends
[Illustration of a group of diverse adults]
The people closest to you can help by:
- Caring for your newborn and other children
- Offering breastfeeding support
- Making meals
- Doing chores
- Helping you get to your health care visits
- Providing emotional support
Your Maternal Care Provider
[Illustration of a woman on an exam table talking with a doctor]
This is the ob-gyn or other obstetric care provider who is in charge of your care during the postpartum period. Call this person first if you have questions about your health after delivery.
Your Baby’s Primary Care Provider
[Illustration of a woman holding her baby and a doctor is listening to the baby’s heartbeat]
This is the pediatrician or other health care provider who is in charge of your baby’s care. Call this person if you have questions about your baby’s health.
Other Professionals
[Illustration of a woman wearing scrubs, a woman in a doctor’s coat, and a man in business clothing]
These people may include:
- Other doctors to help with medical conditions
- Counselors to help with breastfeeding
- Nurses, social workers, and other trained professionals
Remember
[yellow sticky note]
This is your team. It should include the people you and your baby need to get the best start.
- Make a list of the names and phone numbers of everyone on your team before the baby is born.
- Review the list after you give birth and make changes if needed.
- Keep your list nearby after you get home.
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PFSI016: This information was designed as an educational aid to patients and sets forth current information and opinions related to women’s health. It is not intended as a statement of the standard of care, nor does it comprise all proper treatments or methods of care. It is not a substitute for a treating clinician’s independent professional judgment. Please check for updates at www.acog.org to ensure accuracy.
Copyright March 2019 by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, posted on the internet, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher.