**9. Advocate for best practices in the postpartum period**

Changing behavior to promote a positive attitude in low- and middle-income countries is an element that should be practiced at the base of primary healthcare settings and referred obstetric hospitals. The duty of the healthcare services is to provide adequate care for women during the postpartum period. Designing effective interventions based on practically sound activities related to the postpartum period, accepted by the local communities and adopted to sustain the well-being of women and their families is a crucial step to maximize engagement and outcomes in these communities.

Such required activities and practices focus on behavioral change and address factors related to effective knowledge, attitudes, and norms as part of the interventions. The World Health Organization guidelines addressing postpartum care are welldefined and able to apply and accommodate such communities with low resources [41]. These interventions often complement and enhance the role played by services such as health promotion and education for health care services like family planning, antenatal care, delivery in a skilled birth attendant, and postnatal care [25, 42]. Social and behavior change interventions are critical to ensure that populations that are most in need can access available services and products. This is often achievable through a well-planned and systematically implemented social and behavior change intervention that is based on formative research. In addition, a good, strategic plan that is based on identifying the barriers, mode of communication to the population, and tailored messages to address specific behaviors to enhance the proper practices of women, family, and healthcare services toward improving the impact of postnatal *Perspective Chapter: Contemporary Challenges in Postnatal Care in Low- and Middle-Income… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.111446*

practices in low- and middle-income countries is crucial [41]. However, implementing best-practice for postnatal activities may require a better understanding of the situation by the health authorities and relevant stockholders working in the area of health services and care. In addition, it is wise to design a focused strategy, developing interventions and materials, and implementing, monitoring, evaluating, and adjusting the planned strategies [43]. Various activities could be included in this planning strategy such as raising awareness, reducing misinformation, and addressing barriers to various lifesaving and health-promoting interventions among individuals, families, and communities.
