Family planning (FP) after childbirth is crucial for prevention of unintended and closely spaced pregnancies. However, providers, women, their families and communities, as well as policy-makers and programme managers, often do not properly think of the need for FP at this time. They may not be aware that a woman’s fertility can return in the early months after birth and that with timely initiation most contraceptive methods are safe for the breastfeeding mother. According to an...

