All new mothers and the people who love them should learn about postpartum health signs and symptoms of concern. Trust your instincts and contact a healthcare provider with questions or concerns.
The content of this website is for informational purposes only. It is not intended for use as a diagnosis or treatment of a health problem, and it should not be used as a substitute for a visit with a health care or mental health professional. If you have questions or concerns regarding a health or medical condition, please contact your healthcare provider. If you need emergency care, call 911 right away.
Our team makes every effort to be sure that the material on this website is accurate, timely, and based on the best available evidence and science. There is limited research in many areas of postpartum care and wellness. We are committed to keeping the information on this website as current as possible. Your well-being is important to us. If you don’t understand something you’ve read, have questions we don’t answer, are confused, or want more information, please talk to a healthcare provider for more information.
Please note that some pages within this website are linked to websites not managed by or affiliated with the 4th Trimester Project™. We have chosen these links – such as those in Mama Stories – as complementary material. Personal experiences are important for understanding the range of women’s needs and strategies for the postpartum period. We do not review, control, or take responsibility for the content of linked posts or websites. A link is not an endorsement of any service, information, or product offered through the linked site.
We acknowledge the many people who are gender non-binary and the people who may be able to biologically have children but do not identify with being called woman. Our use of the words “mother” and “woman” will need to shift over time to be more inclusive. Our team encourages inclusive language and is continuing to update pages to include more inclusive terms such as “birthing parent.”
We also acknowledge that we need to continue expanding information, testing and updating our language, links, captions, and making necessary corrections to be ADA-compliant. Full ADA compliance is a priority for us. We are a small but mighty team, working to make this as welcoming and complete as possible. Thank you for your patience as we continue to work on this site.
The 4th Trimester Project™ adheres to and promotes the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes (also known as the WHO Code). We intend to only partner with individuals and organizations who adhere to the Code because we lead with our values. However, the internet is a big place and we may be unaware of concerns with content or affiliations, so please notify us if you believe a review is warranted.
The “4th Trimester Project” is a trademark. Materials are available for non-commercial personal use only. Use of the “4th Trimester Project” logo in English or Spanish, websites, content, work, multimedia, social media and digital properties, and more must be vetted by the 4th Trimester Project team. This includes any partner material on this site. If you are interested in exploring collaboration as a partner, please contact us.
Guidelines for 4th Trimester Project Content Sharing and Usage: The 4th Trimester Project content and brand is a trademark. Content is not to be duplicated without review, citation, and approval. Contact Suzanne Woodward, Communications Director, at SuzanneW@med.unc.edu for questions about citing and using the 4th Trimester Project brand and content. See guidance for content usage.
Consumer permission and Consent form: Read our professional and marketing terms, conditions, and permission requests on the permission form here.
