Mothers ́ experiences in relation to a new Swedish postnatal home-based model of midwifery care - Prospective cross sectional study

Background:The goal of postnatal care is to provide the highest possible quality of care and medical safety with the least possibleintervention in order to optimize health and wellbeing of the new family. The aim of the study was to describemothers´ experiences in relation to a new postnatal home-based model of midwifery care.Method:Prospective cross sectional study based on quantitative and qualitative data (mixed method). A new postnatal homebased model of midwifery care was introduced and evaluated in Sweden. Healthy mothers with an uncomplicatedpregnancy and childbirth, with a healthy baby answered an on-line questionnaire. Data were collected during oneyear (2017-2018) and analyzed with descriptive statistics and content analysis.Findings:In total, 180 mothers with 1-5 children were included. They were most likely to have been discharged between 6 and12 hours after childbirth (56%) and felt the time for discharge as good (90%). The postnatal check-up includedtelephone contact (100%), home visit (94%) and hospital visit (94%). The mothers were most likely to have had apositive postnatal care experience by the new postnatal model of midwifery care (mean VAS 8.74, Std. Deviation1.438). For next childbirth 75% of the mothers would prefer home based postnatal care.Conclusion:Home-based postnatal care is well accepted by mothers who were early discharged after childbirth. Mothers with apositive experience of the new postnatal model of midwifery care would prefer home-based postnatal care for nextchildbirth. Midwifery care should include home-based postnatal care