Reflections on maternal health care within the Victorian Maternal and Child Health Service
Leesa Hooker A B , Angela Taft A and Rhonda Small A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Judith Lumley Centre, La Trobe University, 215 Franklin Street, Melbourne, Vic. 3000, Australia.
B Corresponding author. Email: l.hooker@latrobe.edu.au
Australian Journal of Primary Health 22(2) 77-80 https://doi.org/10.1071/PY15096
Submitted: 22 June 2015 Accepted: 28 September 2015 Published: 16 November 2015
Abstract
Women suffer significant morbidity following childbirth and there is a lack of focussed, primary maternal health care to support them. Victorian Maternal and Child Health (MCH) nurses are ideally suited to provide additional care for women when caring for the family with a new baby. With additional training and support, MCH nurses could better fill this health demand and practice gap. This discussion paper reviews what we know about maternal morbidity, current postnatal services for women and the maternal healthcare gap, and makes recommendations for enhancing MCH nursing practice to address this deficit.
Additional keywords: Maternal and Child Health nursing, postnatal care, women’s health.
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