The postpartum period represents a critical time for the mother, hernewborn, and her family, on a physiological, emotional and social level.Yet, it receives relatively less attention than those given to pregnancy anddelivery.The family physician has an important role in providing comprehensivepostnatal care for the mother and her family including providingemotional support to facilitate maternal and familial adjustment,preventing, and treating any postnatal complications, counseling oncontraception, encouraging breastfeeding, giving instructions aboutgeneral care of the newborn, and referring the mother or infant forspecialist when necessary.Health education is one of the cornerstones of the basic postnatal care.