Dear Colleagues,
After birth, the mother and newborn enter what is termed the “golden hour”—a critical period for stabilization, skin-to-skin contact, early breastfeeding, bonding and attachment. To achieve a smooth transition after vaginal birth, providers must address a multitude of factors affecting the health of the dyad. These considerations include immediate newborn assessment, cord clamping and placental birth, as well as the treatment of uterine bleeding and genital injury. If intending to breastfeed, the mother should also be supported in latching the newborn. Ongoing assessment of the fundus, vital signs and pain management is also necessary. Subsequent attention is paid to ambulation, emptying the bladder, oral nutrition and promoting rest and bonding with the infant.
The golden hour(s), when all has gone smoothly, are particularly important for shaping the well-being of the mother and lactation. However, in practice, a great deal of practitioner and institutional variability exists in the early postpartum window. While the immediate phase is usually the responsibility of the midwife/physician, the latter phases are in the domain of nursing/midwifery. Understanding the influence of the early postpartum course on later health outcomes remains a gap in the literature. In this Special Issue, we welcome submissions on innovative models of early postpartum care, as well as new advances in the treatment of early postpartum complications. We also seek studies on early breastfeeding promotion and on the early emotional/psychological state. This issue will address a critical gap in the obstetric literature by examining postpartum management from an interdisciplinary perspective and incorporating obstetric, lactation and psychological outcomes.
Prof. Elise N. Erickson
Guest Editor
Manuscripts should be submitted via our online editorial system at https://imr.propub.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to start your submission. Manuscripts can be submitted now or up until the deadline. All papers will go through peer-review process. Accepted papers will be published in the journal (as soon as accepted) and meanwhile listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, reviews as well as short communications are preferred. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office to announce on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts will be thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. Please visit the Instruction for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) in this open access journal is 1500 USD. Submitted manuscripts should be well formatted in good English.