Maternal health — antenatal, natal and postnatal care
Key facts
- WHO defines maternal death as the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, from a cause related to or aggravated...
- SDG Target 3.1 aims to reduce the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030.
- Janani Suraksha Yojana was launched on 12 April 2005 under the National Rural Health Mission to promote institutional delivery through conditional cas...
- Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram was launched on 1 June 2011 to reduce out-of-pocket expenditure for pregnant women, mothers and sick infants in publi...
- Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan provides assured antenatal care on the 9th day of every month, mainly for women in the second and third trim...
Key Points at a Glance
- 1
WHO defines maternal death as the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, from a cause related to or aggravated by pregnancy or its management.
- 2
SDG Target 3.1 aims to reduce the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030.
- 3
Janani Suraksha Yojana was launched on 12 April 2005 under the National Rural Health Mission to promote institutional delivery through conditional cash assistance.
- 4
Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram was launched on 1 June 2011 to reduce out-of-pocket expenditure for pregnant women, mothers and sick infants in public health facilities.
- 5
Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan provides assured antenatal care on the 9th day of every month, mainly for women in the second and third trimesters.
- 6
WHO's 2016 antenatal care model recommends eight contacts during pregnancy; Indian public health practice has long treated early registration and at least four ANC check-ups as a key service benchmark.
- 7
Anaemia Mukt Bharat, launched in 2018, uses a 6x6x6 strategy covering six beneficiary groups, six interventions and six institutional mechanisms.
- 8
A high-risk pregnancy is one in which the mother, foetus or newborn has a higher chance of illness or death because of medical, obstetric or social risk factors.
Continue studying
Maternal Health In The Continuum Of Care
Maternal health covers the health of a woman during pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period. For an objective recruitment paper, the central idea is the continuum of care: the same woman is followed from early pregnancy registration to antenatal care, safe delivery, postnatal care, family planning and newborn care. Maternal health is not only a hospital issue. It begins with community identification of pregnancy by ASHA, Anganwadi Worker and ANM, moves through sub-centre or Health and Wellness Centre services, and ends with referral care when complications arise.
The terms are often tested directly. Antenatal care means care before birth; natal or intranatal care means care during labour and delivery; postnatal care means care after delivery, usually with special attention to the first 42 days. Maternal mortality ratio is maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, while maternal mortality rate uses women of reproductive age as the denominator. Skilled birth attendance means delivery conducted by a trained health professional who can manage normal delivery and identify danger signs.
Remember the chain: timely registration, regular check-ups, institutional delivery, emergency referral and postnatal follow-up together reduce maternal and neonatal deaths.
Open the complete note
This public page shows the first available section. The study pack opens the complete topic with all revision material.
7 more sections in the complete note
Open study pack