First time parents often have very limited experience of the physical and emotional demands of their new roles and responsibilities which can be quite a challenge.

Research repeatedly shows more negative comments from service users in relation to hospital postnatal services than about any other aspect of maternity care. NCT believes that all parents should be able to access good quality postnatal support in their local community.

NCT's report on women’s experiences of postnatal care Left to your own devices: the postnatal care experiences of 1260 first-time mothers 2010 found that women's feedback and accounts of their experiences indicate widely varying standards of postnatal care. Around half of first-time mothers indicated they had high quality care although one in eight were highly critical, reporting insensitivity, inconsistent advice, inadequate assessments and care, lack of emotional support and/or too few home visits.  NCT used these research findings as a basis for a campaign Postnatal care: still a Cinderella story?

Government and professional body publications.

NCT supports the NICE guideline on postnatal care (applicable to England and Wales) published in July 2006. The Postnatal care guidelines, which covers the core care that every healthy woman and healthy baby should be offered during the first 6-8 weeks after the birth. Although for most women and babies the postnatal period is uncomplicated, care during this period needs to address any deviation from expected recovery after birth. This guideline gives advice on when additional care may be needed.

In May 2010, NICE published the clinical guideline on neonatal jaundice. Jaundice is one of the most common conditions needing medical attention in newborn babies. Jaundice refers to yellow colouration of the skin and the sclerae and is caused by a raised level of bilirubin in the circulation, a condition known as hyperbilirubinaemia.