J Perinatol. 2025 Nov 17. doi: 10.1038/s41372-025-02476-x. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Assess postpartum care attendance among parents of infants in a large, urban, children’s hospital level IV NICU with an on-site delivery unit.
STUDY DESIGN: 86 postpartum parents of infants continuously hospitalized ≥six weeks and <one year postpartum in a level IV NICU between 4/24/23 and 2/16/24 completed surveys. We compared postpartum visit attendance by six weeks between parents of infants transferred into the NICU to parents of infants born in the hospital’s delivery unit (inborn).
RESULTS: 26 (30%) did not attend a postpartum visit by six weeks, significantly more common among parents of transferred (41%) than parents of (10%) inborn infants (aRR 4.5, 95% CI: 1.3-15.6). Health concerns were common in both groups.
CONCLUSION: Parents of transferred infants had a higher risk of not attending a postpartum visit by six weeks compared to parents of inborn infants, highlighting the need for children’s hospitals to measure and address postpartum healthcare gaps.
PMID:41249594 | DOI:10.1038/s41372-025-02476-x
