title: Home care after early discharge: impact on healthy mothers and newborns.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  to compare early discharge with home care versus standard postpartum care in terms of mothers' sense of security; contact between mother, newborn and partner; emotions towards breast feeding; and breast-feeding duration at one and three months after birth.
  
  
  METHODS
  retrospective case-control study.
  
  
  METHODS
  a labour ward unit in Stockholm, Sweden handling both normal and complicated births.
  
  
  METHODS
  96 women with single, uncomplicated pregnancies and births, and their healthy newborns.
  
  
  METHODS
  early discharge at 12-24 hours post partum with 2-3 home visits during the first week after birth. The intervention group consisted of women who had a normal vaginal birth (n=45). This group was compared with healthy controls who received standard postnatal care at the hospital (n=51).
  
  
  METHODS
  mothers' sense of security was measured using the Parents' Postnatal Sense of Security Scale. Contact between mother, child and father, and emotions towards breast feeding were measured using the Alliance Scale, and breast-feeding rates at one and three months post partum were recorded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  women in the intervention group reported a greater sense of security in the first postnatal week but had more negative emotions towards breast feeding compared with the control group. At three months post partum, 74% of the newborns in the intervention group were fully breast fed versus 93% in the control group (p=0.021). Contact between the mother, newborn and partner did not differ between the groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  early discharge with home care is a feasible option for healthy women and newborns, but randomised controlled studies are needed to investigate the effects of home care on breast-feeding rates.
authors: Department of Women and Child Health, Division of Reproductive and Perinatal Health, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden. bjorkask@gmail.com
authors: Björk
authors: B
authors: Askelsdottir
authors: Willemien
authors: W
authors: Lam-de Jonge
authors: Gunnar
authors: G
authors: Edman
authors: Ingela
authors: I
authors: Wiklund
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000523:psychology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006699:Home Care Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008429:Maternal Welfare; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D010351:Patient Discharge / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011181:Postnatal Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011247:Pregnancy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Breast feeding; Length of stay; Postnatal care