New mothers need every help

Offering post-natal home care for mothers could actually save insurers money

Mothers are most vulnerable in the first few weeks of giving birth. Andrew Henderson / The National

Having a baby is both one of the most natural experiences for a woman and also one of the most daunting. In the days after the birth, most women – up to 80 per cent – experience some form of heightened emotional vulnerability, colloquially called “the baby blues”. These feelings usually fade within a few weeks but around 10 to 15 per cent of new mothers can have more serious emotional issues and these are thought to be symptoms of postpartum depression.

As The National reported yesterday, some experts are now calling for health insurers to cover postnatal care in the home. Currently some insurers do offer home care, but usually only when a doctor recommends it because the patient is unable to visit a health care centre. The suggestion would be that home postnatal care is included for all new mothers an newborns.

On the face of it, there is much to recommend the idea of home care. Mothers are most vulnerable in the first few weeks of giving birth. There is so much to learn about caring for a new child while, at the same time, celebrating the little one with family, and coping with the lack of sleep and physical post-pregnancy exhaustion, that it is unsurprising so many mothers feel stressed and anxious. In this region, too, with many women becoming mothers very young, there are the added pressures of youth and inexperience. A home care service would allow the mother and baby to be visited, monitored – and advised – in their home environment.

From an actuarial perspective, this would not simply be an additional cost. On the assumption that prevention is better than cure, having professionals visit a new mother might allow them to spot conditions early, reducing the need for medical intervention. There are risks for mothers in the postpartum period, particularly if their babies are delivered by caesarean section, and professionals could identify this and save insurers money.

In this particular case, those watching out for the health of mothers and those watching the bottom line may be on the same page.