Impact of Community Midwifery Care (CMC) on maternal and neonatal wellbeing in postnatal period: a qualitative study

Background Puerperium is an extremely delicate and sensitive period in a woman's life, during which she needs to be supported by family and healthcare professionals. The midwife's role is supporting the mothers wishes and address her concerns. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of Community Midwifery Care (CMC) on maternal and neonatal wellbeing through the description of women's experience. Methods Data were collected through semi-structured interviews in a qualitative study from April to August 2024. No exclusion criteria were applied other than having received CMC. Women were included regardless of the type of labor or birth (spontaneous, induced, augmented, or surgical) but all of them had given birth in one Italian hospital. One researcher conducted all interviews and women recruitment continued until thematic saturation was reached (N = 24). Analysis was performed with NVivo Software. Findings Mother's age ranged from 19 to 41 years old. Two main themes and five sub-themes were extracted. Main themes included concerns related to the puerperium and knowledge of CMC services. Neonatal care, breastfeeding, maternal care, resumption of sexual activity after childbirth and participation to pre- and post-partum classes were found as sub-themes. Conclusions Community midwifery care improved mother's wellbeing by providing personalized emotional support, increasing breastfeeding confidence, and facilitating timely management of postnatal apprehensions. Strengthening continuity of care and integrating CMC into standard postnatal practices might improve women's initial postnatal experiences and improve newborn outcomes.