Support after childbirth: with navigators, new mothers nearly double primary care visits
In a U.S. study of 405 pregnant women, those with personal navigators attended more postpartum care and more often used the contraception method they wanted.
Symbolic image · Photo: Vyacheslav Argenberg / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (cropped and resized)
The first year after birth brings big challenges for young families, and the mother's own health can easily slip out of view. Researchers at Northwestern University in Chicago studied whether personal navigators help. The study, published in JAMA Health Forum, enrolled 405 low-income pregnant women who received care at Prentice Women's Hospital between 2020 and 2024. The authors cite limited support from a partner as one of the barriers.
The English- and Spanish-speaking navigators supported the women from late pregnancy through the first year after birth. They scheduled appointments, arranged transportation and childcare, and helped patients understand medical information. With a navigator, 96 percent attended a postpartum visit, compared with 80 percent without. One year after birth, 57 percent had seen a primary care doctor, versus 30 percent. And 65 percent were using their desired contraception method, compared with 43 percent.
Postpartum depression screening and care reached 86 percent of women with navigators and 72 percent without; blood pressure was checked in 85 percent versus 62 percent. “Their goal was to put themselves out of business,” corresponding author Lynn M. Yee, chief of maternal-fetal medicine, said of the navigators. The study was published Oct. 2, and ScienceDaily reported on it Oct. 6. The report does not say exactly how the comparison group was formed.
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