Women’s Health After Motherhood (FutureLearn)

After giving birth, women can struggle to access reliable resources and trustworthy information regarding their own health. There can be confusion surrounding what is and what isn’t normal after giving birth and many mothers unnecessarily suffer in silence.

On this course, you will gain advice and strategies on how to prioritise postpartum care and help women support one another during the postpartum period. You will address common physical and mental health challenges after birth, learning how to help yourself and when to seek professional healthcare.

What topics will you cover?

. Week 1: Maternal health: Presents myths and misconceptions on maternal health globally. Learners will understand what is common versus what is normal, and how to prioritize your health postpartum.

. Week 2: Physical health: We will discuss urinary and anal incontinence, and provide pelvic floor muscle training techniques.

. Week 3: Mental health: Postpartum anxiety and depression are discussed, with learners identifying and building a social support network.

. Week 4: Sexual health and relationships: Returning to sexual intimacy, identifying sexual health problems and recognising intimate partner violence are the topics examined in our final week together.

Learning on this course

You can take this self-guided course and learn at your own pace. On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you'll be able to...

- Identify common postpartum health challenges.

- Apply strategies to address postpartum health challenges.

- Recognise when professional help is needed for postpartum health problems.

- Reflect on when self-help actions are needed.

- Assess what are normal and uncommon health challenges postpartum.

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for women who are pregnant, planning a pregnancy or have recently had a baby. It’s ideal for anyone interested in postpartum maternal health issues, including midwives, nurses, and obstetricians.