Nunavut maternal and newborn health care strategy 2009-2014

Newborn Health Care Strategy INTRODUCTION – CONTEXT FOR THE STRATEGY The experience of pregnancy and childbirth has The Maternal and Newborn Health Care Strategy profound and lifelong effects on the lives of the is the Department’s response to addressing these mother, father, child and community. [...] As these • A Vision for Maternal and Newborn Health Care factors are, to a large extent, responsible for the •. Guiding Principles for Maternal and Newborn health status of the mother and newborn, a more Health Care comprehensive approach must be adopted in • A n Action Plan: Specific Goals and Priority Actions addressing needs throughout the preconception, prenatal, birth and postnatal periods. [...] Newborn Health Care Strategy ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED BY THE MATERNAL AND NEWBORN HEALTH CARE STRATEGY The following problems and issues are the prime Nunavummiut experience some of the highest rates motivation for a Strategy focused on maternal nationally for known risk factors for pre-term births, and newborn health care and highlight why it is including single marital status, age of the mother, c [...] For example, provide a range of prenatal and postnatal resources researchers from the University of Manitoba and support to expecting mothers and fathers, conducted an audit of the RIBC covering 1991- and perform home visits, working with the entire 2004 and found that: “Overall, in the opinion of the extended family. [...] Newborn Health Care Strategy Additional principles relevant to the Strategy •. Collaboration and partnership: are essential and include: includes teamwork among various care providers, • C hoice: mothers, families and communities and between the mother and her care providers, are able to choose and access appropriate fostering increased ownership, decision-making maternal and newborn health care,