Relational continuity

Women who had no connection with the assistance provided by NGOs and did not participate in the HVCoC during pregnancy did not experience any relational continuity.

Pregnant women assisted by NGOs and by the FVSd experienced and acknowledged trusted relational continuity during the postpartum period.

The relationships and trust established during pregnancy care persisted in the postpartum period and facilitated informational continuity, which, in turn, affected management continuity.

Informational continuity

Despite planned educational sessions during pregnancy, women returning from maternity hospitals felt insufficiently informed, were self-conscious, and lacked maternity skills when encountering real-life situations.

In the standard care model, women were unsure when and where to seek help for breastfeeding problems, breast issues, bleeding, or other health concerns. In real life, they needed information and guidance. HVCoC met this need.

Women felt the need for information on support available from other institutions, including emotional and financial support from NGOs, as women were not always referred to such resources. It was not a case for women in HVCoC.

An information leaflet with basic guidance on whom to contact for specific issues, given to a new mother along with the essentials for the baby provided by the maternity hospitals, was considered a valuable resource.

The real-life information provided by the FVSs was positively experienced by the women who received home visits. They valued the fact that specialists were accessible when they needed information.

During the postpartum period, in the absence of direct, qualified information from specialists, online resources became a significant source of information.

A prior relational connection between the service provider and women enhanced informational continuity.

Management continuity

In the standard care model, timely services and need-based care were hindered by systemic gaps. Maternal healthcare received insufficient attention, as merely a single visit 6 weeks after childbirth proved inadequate.

Standard care sectors operated in isolation, often failing to align with where they were needed. In postpartum care, responsibility remained with either a GP or a midwife. However, practical scenarios arose in which neither of these professionals was involved.

For some women, home visits by social workers or child protection services during the postnatal period were experienced more as a form of control, while the FVSs’ care was seen as a real assistance that met their needs.