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Objectives: To investigate mothers' perceived satisfaction with support from antenatal care (AC), postpartum care (PC) and child health care (CHC), respectively, during the first two weeks after childbirth., Design: Cross-sectional survey, mixed-method design., Ethical Issues: The study was approved by the Regional Research and Ethics Committee at the Karolinska Insititutet, Sweden., Methods: Data were collected using a study-specific questionnaire that focused on mothers' satisfaction with support from AC, PC and CHC during the first 2 weeks after childbirth. All mothers in Stockholm County (n = 546) who gave birth to a live infant during a 1-week period in 2009 were invited to participate. Descriptive and logistic regression analyses and a content analysis were performed., Results: A large discrepancy was found between levels of satisfaction with AC, PC and CHC. Mothers were satisfied with the support from CHC healthcare nurses, but missed follow-up contact from AC and PC midwives. Nearly 40% of all mothers commented on insufficient support including that continuity in the chain of care was lacking and support for mothers' physical and emotional health was insufficient. Delivery at <37 weeks of gestation was associated with reduced satisfaction with both AC and CHC, but not with PC. Mothers who made emergency visits during the first two weeks were more likely to be dissatisfied with support from PC., Conclusion: All links in the chain of care are important for the support of mothers during the first 2 weeks after childbirth, but continuity needs to be improved to raise the quality of care for mothers., (© 2014 Nordic College of Caring Science.)

Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess mothers' perceived satisfaction with professional support during the first 2 weeks after childbirth and the extent to which mothers seek emergency care during the same period., Design: A cross-sectional study was conducted of all mothers (n = 546) in Stockholm County, Sweden, who gave birth to a live baby during the same week in 2009., Ethical Issues: The study was approved by the regional Research and Ethics Committee at the Karolinska Insititutet, Sweden., Methods: The mothers responded to a study-specific questionnaire on perceived satisfaction with professional support and the sense of coherence scale, which measures coping strategies. The mothers also provided information about their socio-demographic background, obstetric and infant data, and visits to hospital emergency departments. Descriptive and logistic regression analyses were performed., Results: Fifty-three percent of the mothers rated the support received as sufficient or more than sufficient, 29.7% as neither sufficient nor insufficient and 17.7% as insufficient or completely insufficient. The results indicate a lack of continuity in postpartum care. As many as 17% of the mothers in the study population visited hospital emergency departments during the first 2 weeks after childbirth, as a result of problems related to delivery, breastfeeding or infant health. A higher frequency of such emergency visits was associated with poor perception of professional support, low sense of coherence and delivery complications., Conclusions: Relative to otherwise comparable mothers, mothers who experience complications with delivery are less satisfied with professional support and turn more frequently to hospital emergency departments for support., (© 2013 Nordic College of Caring Science. Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd.)