PRINTER'S NO. 1918
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE RESOLUTION
No.
354
Session of
2020
INTRODUCED BY MUTH, FONTANA, STREET, SANTARSIERO, DINNIMAN,
COLLETT, SCHWANK, BREWSTER, TARTAGLIONE, COSTA, KEARNEY,
L. WILLIAMS, HUGHES AND IOVINO, SEPTEMBER 3, 2020
REFERRED TO RULES AND EXECUTIVE NOMINATIONS, SEPTEMBER 3, 2020
A RESOLUTION
Designating September 23, 2020, as "Fourth Trimester Care Day"
in Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, The current practice of our health care system is to
provide focused care during pregnancy and birth, with weekly
checkups in the final weeks of gestation; yet a new mother is
often afforded a single follow-up visit, generally six weeks
after the baby is born; and
WHEREAS, It is understood that a child's healthy development
for their first few years of life is a crucial factor in
creating positive outcomes for the rest of their life; and
WHEREAS, The well-being of mother and infant are intimately
connected and therefore rather than treat them as separate
entities, their care should be understood as mutually
beneficial, with the needs of the one considered in the context
of the needs of the other; and
WHEREAS, A mother undergoes a period of substantial
transformation and adaptation, particularly through the first
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three months of motherhood, simultaneously experiencing
physical, hormonal and psychosocial changes as well as shifting
roles and responsibilities; and
WHEREAS, This period of transition should be recognized as
the Fourth Trimester, a time during which mothers are deserving
of care in their own right; and
WHEREAS, Mothers may suffer a number of physical health
issues during the Fourth Trimester that far too often go
undiagnosed and therefore, untreated; and
WHEREAS, Some of the health issues mothers have reported
experiencing include: breastfeeding problems, infections,
physical exhaustion, sleep loss, depression and stress, anxiety
and rage, loneliness, frequent headaches, heavy bleeding,
backache, weight control, pelvic and coccyx pain, urinary and
fecal incontinence, diastasis recti, pelvic organ prolapse, scar
tissue pain from either cesarean, episiotomy or natural tearing,
hemorrhoids, pubic symphysis separation and painful intercourse;
and
WHEREAS, Physical issues resulting from childbirth can also
affect the mental health of new mothers and, in turn, their
ability to provide care and nurturing for their babies as well
as full return to the workforce and activity engagement; and
WHEREAS, According to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, about one in nine mothers in the United States
experience symptoms of postpartum depression and anxiety; and
WHEREAS, All major medical organizations recommend six months
of exclusive breastfeeding, recognizing that the practice of
breastfeeding is associated with positive health outcomes for
both mother and infant; and
WHEREAS, Only 21% of mothers are able to achieve the
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recommended six months of exclusive breastfeeding, a statistic
that results, in part, from social constraints such as unpaid
maternity leave, negative attitudes toward nursing in public and
lack of workplace accommodations for breastfeeding mothers; and
WHEREAS, Twenty-three percent of employed mothers have to
return to work within 10 days postpartum despite evidence
supporting tissue healing requires six weeks thus, compounding
health issues and making it even more difficult to fulfill all
of their roles and responsibilities; and
WHEREAS, For the sake of the health and well-being of both
mother and infant, a mother should receive the mental, physical,
social and economic support she needs to successfully transition
through this all-important, consequential Fourth Trimester
period; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate recognize September 23, 2020, as
"Fourth Trimester Care Day" in Pennsylvania.
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