A population-based survey of recent mothers in South Australia and Victoria

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This study involves a postal survey of women giving birth in SA and Victoria in 2007. The survey will be mailed to around 7,000 women by hospitals and home birth practitioners in early 2008, five months after women have given birth. All Indigenous women who give birth in SA and Victoria during 2008, approx. 900 women, will be invited to participate in the survey by completing the survey by mail or by interview. The study will investigate the childbirth and early postnatal experiences, physical and emotional health of representative samples of women giving birth in each state. Women living in metropolitan, regional and remote areas, and women having first and subsequent births will be included. A major aim of the study will be to monitor the impact of maternity services strategies implemented in each State, and determine whether the expansion of midwife care and other models providing continuity of care have resulted in improvements in women's overall experiences of maternity care. The study will also investigate women's experiences of psychosocial inquiry and support, explore women's views of universal postnatal home visiting programs and monitor the impact of the continuing trend towards shorter length of postnatal hospital stay on women's health after childbirth, breastfeeding and infant readmission. The impact of organisational and policy changes in maternity care has not been subject to careful or rigorous evaluation. The conduct of population-based surveys of recent mothers in Victoria provides a unique and important source of information for monitoring the impact of policy changes on maternal health and well-being, and women's experiences of maternity care. Repeating the survey, extending the survey to include women giving birth in SA and a representative sample of Indigenous women will provide valuable evidence regarding the responsiveness of maternity services and the extent to which policy changes have led to improvements in maternity care.