**10. Conclusion**

This chapter discussed the impact of postnatal care in low- and middle-income countries and the main challenges they face. Moreover, the importance of the quality of postnatal care was also addressed as well as the required interventions that should be implemented at the level of the facility, household, and community levels as part of the process of reducing the impact of postnatal complications. Such services should be provided for every woman on this globe with more empathy for those in low- and middle-income countries.

As almost all maternal and neonatal deaths occur in developing countries, inequality is a prominent matter among high-income and low- and middle-income countries where fewer services were reported after delivery in the postnatal period. The care during puerperium for the woman has an influence on maternal health, which is considered the most important maternal health-care service not only for prevention of impairment and disabilities but also for reduction of maternal mortality.

Barriers were markedly observed in low- and middle-income countries where postnatal care utilization was low as a result of financial constraints, distance from the health center, poor programming for postnatal care, women's experience during childbirth, cultural constraints, and many others. Other factors related to the health system, such as insufficient staff, poor reception of clients, and lack of trust and confidentiality between clients and healthcare providers, were considered among the barrier to giving attention to postpartum care.

Guidelines and recommendations on a reproductive program initiated by the World Health Organization have developed a comprehensive set of plans for care during the antenatal and postnatal period, focusing on the essential package that all women and newborns should receive, with due attention to the quality of care, that is, the provision of and experience of care and management of postnatal complications. The contraceptives for the family program were linked with women's health, which helps in the prevention of unwanted pregnancies among couples and therefore promotes planned family size and time of birth for improved reproductive well-being of the women.

Strengthening health systems is crucial for improving the quality of care for mothers and neonates. To increase the responsiveness of systems and improve quality, it is essential to improve infrastructure and equipment; access to energy, water, and sanitation; and recruitment, training, and retention of health workers.

*Contemporary Challenges in Postnatal Care*
