Women’s experience of post-natal care: A study from Uttarakhand, India

ABSTRACT Although significant strides have been made in improving maternal and child health outcomes following the millennium development goals, India's progress has been slow, as reflected by its relatively high maternal and child mortality rates. This calls for investigation into the quality of care (QOC) offered to women during pregnancy and childbirth. This study uses primary data to evaluate women's experience of the postnatal care they receive in order to understand maternal perceptions about QOC in Uttarakhand, India. Specifically, we try to measure women's satisfaction with postnatal care and construct a maternal satisfaction index. We also attempt to understand the demographic, socio-economic and obstetric factors that affect them. Results show that a sufficient number of postnatal checks for both the mother and baby were done, while they felt the length of stay in health facilities had been adequate and they had adequate privacy during these processes. These emerged as the most important components of maternal satisfaction. Factors such as women's working status, place of residence, number of children born, pregnancy and delivery related complications, and planned place of delivery were important for their satisfaction. This study may have policy implications to help bridge the supply-demand gaps in the QOC framework.