Canadian women’s experience of postnatal care: a mixed method study
Open accessAbstract
Background: The postnatal period remains unstandardized in terms of care and postnatal visits with a dearth of information on the experience from Canadian women. Purpose: To explore (1) with whom and how often women receive postnatal follow-up visits and (2) the postnatal care experiences of Canadian mothers. Methods: Using a cross-sectional design, women who had given birth within the past 6 months were recruited to complete an online survey. Frequencies were computed for quantitative outcomes and thematic analysis was used for qualitative responses. Results: A total of 561 mothers completed the survey. Women saw on average 1.9 different postnatal healthcare providers, primarily family doctors (72.4%). 3.2% had no postnatal visits and 37.6% had 4 or more within 6 weeks. 76.1% women were satisfied with their postnatal care. Women's satisfactory care in the postnatal period was associated with in-person and at home follow-ups, receiving support, and receiving timely, appropriate care for self and newborn. Unsatisfactory care was associated with challenges accessing care, experiencing gaps in follow-up visits, and having unsatisfactory assessment for their own recovery. Conclusion: There is considerable variation in the timing and frequency of postnatal visits. While many women are experiencing satisfactory care, women are still reporting dissatisfaction and are facing challenges.
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Many healthcare systems limit postpartum care to a single visit at six weeks, leaving a gap in support as women adjust to the physiological, psychological, and social changes of motherhood.
“Many healthcare systems limit postpartum care to a single visit at six weeks, leaving a gap in support as women adjust to the physiological, psychological, and social changes of motherhood (Parham et al., 2025; Dol et al., 2022).”
From Extending the continuum: Mapping post-6-week nurse/midwife-led interventions for postnatal women – A scoping review (2026) · cites this paper as Dol et al., 2022
The Background and Purpose section describes limited standardized postnatal support despite the challenges after birth. But the paper does not establish that many healthcare systems restrict care to one visit at six weeks: its Results report that visits varied, with many women seen earlier and only 15.2% reporting one visit in the first six weeks. Page numbers were not available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.86)
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References 29 · Cited by 15
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- Authors
- Dol, J., Hughes, B., Tomblin Murphy, G., Aston, M., McMillan, D., & Campbell-Yeo, M.
- Affiliations
- Dalhousie University (CA)
- Nova Scotia Health Authority, Halifax, NS, Canada
- Corresponding author
- Dol, Justine
- Venue
- Canadian Journal of Nursing Research
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2021-10-27
- Volume
- 54
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 497-507
- ISSN
- 0844-5621 (ISSN-L)
- 1705-7051
- PMC
- PMC9596944
- OpenAlex
- W3209413912
- Cited by
- 15
- References
- 29
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 4 · 2022: 2
- FWCI
- 1.36
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Locations
- Canadian Journal of Nursing Research (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research (FRN154341)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Obstetrics and Gynecology › Maternal and Perinatal Health Interventions
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Maternal and Neonatal Healthcare
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Patient Satisfaction in Healthcare
- Keywords
- postpartum care, general practitioners, postpartum support
- MeSH terms
- Canada, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Humans, Infant, Newborn, Male, Mothers, Postnatal Care, Pregnancy, Surveys and Questionnaires
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