To serve all mothers by providing clear, inclusive, accurate information.
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Going from pregnancy, labor and birth or otherwise bringing a baby home is a big transition. It’s a journey and you deserve support. Seeking information and using the resources that are available to you is a sign of strength.
While much attention is focused on babies, new mothers and others also undergo changes with their bodies, feelings, and relationships. The “4th Trimester” is defined as the days, weeks, and months following birth. This is a really important time in the life of a woman and her family. The health and social information presented on this website is intended to provide the latest medical evidence on postpartum recovery and also offer information and honest stories on navigating this important time.
Our 4th Trimester Project team is deeply committed to serving all mothers and those important to them. To this end, we make every effort to avoid conflicts of interest and provide clear information. We know that there are others out there doing excellent work in this field and try to provide links and connections to their work throughout the site. At the same time, there are many information gaps as it is only recently that people have paid attention to the 4th Trimester. As such, we pledge to continue to seek answers, push research, and build new content for this site over the years to come.
We will always be clear about how we are supported (see strategic partners). We will not partner with any organization that fails to uphold the World Health Organization Code of Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes. We care about protecting and accommodating parents providing human milk to their infants – while at the same time supporting all caregivers in their decisions about how they prefer and are able to feed their babies.
We recognize that not everyone who gives birth identifies with the word “mother” or “woman” or pronoun “she”, that not everyone who is a new parent gave birth to their baby, that partners are an essential part of the 4th Trimester, and that the postpartum experience is different for everyone. We want to lift up the experience of people who are gender non-binary. We will continue to strive to lift up all experiences while also identifying and sharing information on topics that tend to be universal. We ask for your patience and also for your advice as to how we can continue to improve.
The 4th Trimester Project aims to transform the way America cares for new moms and families. We seek to:
- Shift cultural norms and assumptions
- Actively support the health goals of all parents and families
- Prepare health care professionals to better serve new mothers
- Establish more equitable health care systems
- Help build ‘villages’ of resources and support
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