ABSTRACT
The postpartum period may be considered the fourth trimester of pregnancy, reflecting the continuum of fetal-to-infant development and maternal physiologic changes that continue from pregnancy into the postnatal period. Optimizing postpartum health is critical to physical and emotional recovery from pregnancy and birth; it also plays a key role in preparing for future pregnancy, reducing recurrence of adverse pregnancy outcomes, improving offspring outcomes and health of the entire family unit, and reducing the risk of cardiometabolic disease later in life. Lactation and provision of human milk to the infant yield additional numerous short- and long-term maternal and neonatal benefits. This chapter discusses postpartum health and lactation, with a focus on how lifestyle intervention can support a woman’s post-birth physical and emotional recovery. The implications of adverse pregnancy outcomes for future health are examined, and strategies for surveillance and risk mitigation using lifestyle modification are reviewed. There is an emphasis on viewing pregnancy as a cardiometabolic stress test and a window into future health, and on using the postpartum period as an opportunity for early intervention to improve future pregnancy and life-long health outcomes for women and their offspring.
