ABSTRACT
Introduction
The Living Evidence for Australian Pregnancy and Postnatal Care (LEAPP) program was established in 2023 to update and transition the Australian Pregnancy Care Guidelines into living guidelines and to establish new, living Australian Postnatal Care Guidelines. The program is a collaboration of the Australian Living Evidence Collaboration (ALEC), the Australian College of Midwives, the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and 23 other Australian health organisations. The guidelines are developed using methods designed to meet the National Health and Medical Research Council standards. Clinical questions are prioritised by clinician and lived experience input. For each prioritised question, evidence is reviewed using systematic methods (existing published reviews or conducted de novo), contextual factors such as feasibility and equity are considered and new or updated recommendations are drafted. A lived experience panel and multidisciplinary clinical panels review draft recommendations. Unanimous endorsement by all 25 partner organisations is required before publication. Surveillance searches are conducted for most topic areas every 6 months. New and updated content is progressively added to the published guidelines.
Recommendations
As of August 2026 (version 11), the Australian Pregnancy Care Guidelines include 277 recommendations on more than 80 topics; 229 are new or updated since 2023. The new Australian Postnatal Care Guidelines include 149 recommendations on more than 20 topics. The guidelines are published online at https://livingevidence.org.au/living‐guidelines/leapp/.
Changes in Management as a Result of the Guideline
New or updated recommendations include continuity of care, assessment and support on vaping, increased testing for syphilis, reduced testing for proteinuria, guidance on progesterone and cervical cerclage to prevent preterm birth, bereavement support, assessment and support for psychological birth trauma, screening for family violence, side sleeping in later pregnancy and a recommendation against vitamin D.
Keywords: guidelines as topic, obstetrics, pregnancy
1. Introduction
Care during pregnancy and the postnatal period is a crucial determinant of health, with life‐altering impacts on the health of women and gender‐diverse people giving birth (hereafter abbreviated to women) and babies [1, 2]. Best‐practice care relies on evidence‐informed guidance that is up to date and can address knowledge gaps, variation in practice and innovations. Living guidelines provide an approach to informing health decisions with evidence that is kept up to date [3, 4]. Australia has world‐leading examples of living national guidelines, including the Stroke Foundation guidelines [5, 6, 7], Caring for Australians and New Zealanders with Kidney Impairment (CARI) guidelines [8], and the now‐decommissioned guidelines on COVID‐19 [9, 10, 11].
Living guidelines are appropriate for questions of importance to decision‐makers, where new evidence is emerging that is likely to change recommendations [3]. Although guidance in some areas of pregnancy and postnatal care is stable, such as rubella, other areas are characterised by emerging evidence (e.g., point‐of‐care testing and new vaccines), uncertainties in best practice (e.g., progesterone for preventing preterm birth and screening for gestational diabetes) and emerging areas of concern (e.g., syphilis and birth trauma). In 2017, the World Health Organization (WHO) led the way in living approaches to guidelines in pregnancy, prioritising the update of recommendations using surveillance of new trials [12].
Australia has had national pregnancy guidelines since 2012. Periodic updates (most recently in 2020) included some new and updated content alongside older content [13]. No similar national guidelines for postnatal care existed [14]. In 2023, the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (DHDA) commissioned the Australian Living Evidence Collaboration (ALEC), the Australian College of Midwives (ACM) and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) to update the pregnancy care guidelines, develop new postnatal care guidelines and transition both into living guidelines.
The Living Evidence in Australian Pregnancy and Postnatal Care (LEAPP) program was established to undertake this work. LEAPP is a cross‐disciplinary collaboration including ALEC, ACM, RANZCOG and 23 other health, research and lived experience organisations (Table 1).
TABLE 1.
Living Evidence for Australian Pregnancy and Postnatal Care (LEAPP) member and supporter organisations. a
| Lead partners | Member organisations | Supporter organisations |
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
The current list of members and supporters may change over time and is maintained at https://livingevidence.org.au/living‐guidelines/leapp/about‐leapp/.
This guideline summary describes the new Australian Pregnancy Care Guidelines and Australian Postnatal Care Guidelines (hereafter, ‘the guidelines’), developed in the first 3 years of the LEAPP program. These guidelines aim to provide up‐to‐date, reliable recommendations for health professionals providing care for women during and after pregnancy.
2. Methods
2.1. Scope and Audience
The guidelines' scope includes care during pregnancy and the postnatal period in Australia. Specified by DHDA, the scope excludes:
preconception care;
care during labour and birth;
care beyond 12 months after birth (although initial work has focused on the first 6–8 weeks);
care for women with pre‐existing conditions or complex pregnancies (such as multiple pregnancies); and
management of clinical conditions (e.g., depression or preeclampsia) after diagnosis.
The primary audience is health professionals providing pregnancy and postnatal care, including midwives, obstetricians, general practitioners, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers, allied health professionals and others, encompassing diverse settings and models of care. We recognise that women who are pregnant and carers for newborns are the primary decision‐makers and may also access the guidelines.
2.2. Methodological Approach
The guidelines draw on methods for living guidelines developed by ALEC [3, 15, 16] and used for the Australian guidelines for the clinical care of people with COVID‐19 [11, 17]. The guidelines are developed in accordance with requirements for approval by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) [18].
2.3. Evidence Team
Evidence synthesis and content drafting are conducted by staff at ALEC (Figure 1), with expertise in systematic reviews and guideline development, including some with clinical qualifications. The team is supported by an information specialist and senior research staff with expertise in synthesis methods, biostatistics, guideline development, policy engagement, engagement of people with lived experience, implementation and evaluation. The evidence team is advised by two clinical fellows: one midwife and one obstetrician.
FIGURE 1.
Living Evidence for Australian Pregnancy and Postnatal Care (LEAPP) decision‐making and governance structure.
2.4. Identification, Prioritisation and Formulation of Clinical Questions
For pregnancy care, an initial list of candidate topics was drawn from the 2020 edition of the guidelines [13]. For postnatal care, an initial list was drawn from a scoping review of existing Australian and international guidelines [14]. A formal process was conducted to prioritise topics for update or addition to the guidelines, including review of candidate topics by the clinical fellows and public surveys of clinicians, people with lived experience and policymakers. Prioritisation was based on expected health impact, changing evidence or context and clinical uncertainty [19]. In addition, several topics were identified by DHDA as priorities.
Informed by this process, the evidence team develops specific clinical questions addressing prioritised topics and defines eligibility criteria and outcomes of interest for each question. For reasons of feasibility, the clinical fellows and guideline development panels are consulted as required on question development for complex topics and periodically review frequently reported outcomes of interest. Consideration is given to current practice in Australia and specific populations, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, culturally diverse groups and those in rural or remote areas. Clinical questions and eligibility criteria are reported in topic‐specific evidence reports attached to each section of the guidelines.
2.5. Search, Selection and Data Extraction
The following sources of evidence are sought, in order of preference:
systematic reviews underpinning existing guidelines;
other published systematic reviews; and
primary studies.
Existing guidelines are identified from the websites of guideline producers (e.g., produced by Australian organisations such as RANZCOG and the Centre of Research Excellence in Stillbirth, or international organisations such as WHO and the United Kingdom's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence [NICE]). Existing guideline recommendations are not directly adopted or adapted, although the wording of existing recommendations may inform draft recommendations, especially where evidence is not available to inform recommendations.
Electronic search strategies are designed by an experienced information specialist and typically use PubMed as the primary source. Where possible, new searches are limited to the period since a systematic review was conducted for an existing guideline and limited to published systematic reviews. Searches for primary studies are conducted where no systematic review exists or to identify primary studies published after an identified systematic review.
Search results are screened independently by two evidence team members against the eligibility criteria using Covidence [20]. Where multiple systematic reviews are identified addressing one clinical question, one or more reviews are selected to inform the guidelines, considering:
alignment with and coverage of clinical questions;
date of search;
assessment of methods and risk of bias; and
overlap in included primary studies.
Search strategies, records identified and studies selected for inclusion are described in topic‐specific evidence reports attached to each section of the guidelines.
2.6. Data Extraction and Assessment of Included Evidence
Data extraction and assessment are conducted independently in duplicate. Decisions are reached by consensus or a third team member consulted if agreement cannot be reached.
Existing guidelines are assessed using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) II tool (Table S1) [21]. Systematic reviews are assessed using the Risk of Bias in Systematic reviews (ROBIS) tool [22] and reviews at high risk of bias are excluded. Primary studies are assessed using tools appropriate for the design (most commonly, randomised trials, non‐randomised studies of interventions and diagnostic test accuracy studies) [23, 24, 25].
2.7. Evidence Synthesis
Where an eligible systematic review is available, but the search date is older than 1 year, the evidence team determines whether an update is required, based on the likelihood that additional evidence will change the synthesis result or the certainty of the evidence. Where there is no existing systematic review to address a specific clinical question, the evidence team conducts one.
2.8. Development of Recommendations
The Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach is used to assess the certainty of evidence for each outcome of interest, considering risk of bias, indirectness, imprecision, inconsistency and publication bias [26]. The GRADE assessment may be drawn from the included systematic reviews or conducted by the evidence team where required. The evidence team also develops ‘summary of findings’ tables, summarising evidence and GRADE assessments, which are published in the guidelines alongside each related recommendation.
The evidence for each question is considered alongside the balance of benefits and harms, values and preferences, equity, resources, feasibility and acceptability in evidence‐to‐decision tables as per the GRADE framework [26], which are published in the guidelines alongside each related recommendation.
Based on these tables, and informed by recommendations from existing guidelines where available, the evidence team develops draft recommendations addressing the clinical questions for each topic.
2.9. Engagement of People With Lived Experience
The LEAPP program prioritises the voices and perspectives of women with lived experience of pregnancy and caring for babies. The LEAPP lived experience panel (Figure 1) comprises 15 members reflecting the diversity of the Australian community, including geographically diverse locations, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, culturally diverse or migrant backgrounds, diverse age groups, those with disabilities and those with experience of pregnancy loss.
The lived experience panel provides insight into their experiences of different conditions or interventions, what aspects of care or outcomes might be valued and the importance of informed choice. The panel provides the first feedback on draft content, proposes new recommendations and assists in disseminating information to the public [27].
Lived experience is included at all levels of LEAPP decision‐making. The co‐chairs and deputy co‐chairs of the lived experience panel are members of the guideline development panels. The steering committee includes the Maternity Consumer Network.
2.10. Guideline Development Panels
Following the lived experience panel, two multidisciplinary clinical panels (pregnancy and postnatal) review the draft recommendations (Figure 1). Diversity is considered in professional discipline, urban and rural settings, jurisdiction and inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members. Both panels are co‐chaired by the LEAPP clinical fellows. The clinical panels consider the evidence and evidence‐to‐decision framework for each question to be addressed in the guidelines, provide clinical and contextual expertise and decide on draft recommendations.
Draft recommendations approved by the clinical panels proceed to the guideline leadership group (GLG). The GLG is co‐chaired by representatives of ACM and RANZCOG and includes nominees of LEAPP member organisations and individuals invited for their expertise, with the same consideration of diversity. The GLG also advises on scope and prioritisation.
2.11. Approval and Consultation
The guidelines are overseen by a steering committee including representatives of the 25 member organisations (Figure 1). The steering committee provides strategic direction and considers contextual and implementation issues. All recommendations must receive unanimous endorsement from all member organisations before publication.
Following endorsement, draft recommendations are incorporated into the guidelines and published online using the MAGICapp platform [28]. All LEAPP member and supporter organisations, DHDA, NHMRC and the state and territory Departments of Health are notified and information is disseminated via the LEAPP website, social media channels and newsletter.
A Policy Liaison Group includes representatives of DHDA and the state and territory Departments of Health and provides input from a policy and implementation perspective during public consultation and whenever policy‐related issues are identified.
Following a minimum 30 days' public consultation, a revised version of the guidelines is published. New and updated recommendations are submitted for approval by NHMRC, which coordinates external peer and methodological review as required.
2.12. Transition to Living Phase
Following the initial development of recommendations, surveillance searches are conducted to maintain the currency of the guidelines. Surveillance frequency is set per topic, considering the stability of the evidence base and the likelihood of emerging evidence changing the recommendations. Most topics are reviewed every 6 months for reasons of feasibility. Topics requiring higher frequency are reviewed monthly. Topics assessed as stable are not reviewed and are identified in the guidelines. Searches may also be run whenever information is received that key evidence has been published.
When surveillance searches are run, the evidence team screens the results and extracts key characteristics. A decision is made whether to update the evidence synthesis based on the likelihood of change in the certainty or conclusions. A decision is then made as to whether the recommendation requires revision based on the updated synthesis.
Each recommendation is published with a date of approval, enabling readers to identify updated or older content. In each version, new or updated content is flagged for readers, as well as content that has been reviewed but no changes made and content currently under review.
2.13. Funding and Conflicts of Interest
LEAPP is funded by DHDA. All individuals who participate in guideline decision‐making complete a declaration of interests, updated periodically. Declarations of interests are reviewed by the evidence team and, if needed, by an independent Conflicts of Interest Committee. Individuals are excluded from discussions related to topics for which they have a conflict of interest.
3. Evaluation
A baseline evaluation of the 2020 edition of the pregnancy care guidelines was undertaken before updating commenced, using an online survey of clinicians. The evaluation investigated awareness of the existing guidelines, how they were perceived and how they were used in practice [29].
A process evaluation is undertaken every 6 months. Experiences of participants in the LEAPP program are captured through online surveys, semi‐structured interviews and an activity audit [30]. Results are used for continuous improvement.
4. Recommendations
4.1. Australian Pregnancy Care Guidelines
In 2020, the pregnancy care guidelines included 184 recommendations addressing 70 topics [13]. As of August 2026 (version 11), the Australian Pregnancy Care Guidelines include 277 recommendations addressing more than 80 topics [31] (Table 2), of which 229 are new or updated. NHMRC has approved 200 recommendations to date.
TABLE 2.
Topics addressed in the guidelines.
| Australian Pregnancy Care Guidelines a [31] | Australian Postnatal Care Guidelines [32] | |
|---|---|---|
|
Optimising pregnancy care
Core practices in pregnancy care
Health‐related behaviours
Clinical assessments
Social and emotional screening
|
Key medical conditions
Communicable diseases
Fetal chromosomal anomalies
Common conditions during pregnancy
Clinical assessments in late pregnancy
|
Postnatal assessment and support
Social and emotional screening
Infant feeding
Health‐related behaviours
Communicable diseases
Respectful care |
Topics in plain text have been updated since 2023. Topics in italics have yet to be updated as part of the Living Evidence for Australian Pregnancy and Postnatal Care (LEAPP) project. Note that some individual recommendations within each section may have a different status. The approval date of each individual recommendation is presented in the guidelines.
Notable changes in comparison to the 2020 guidelines include (Table 3):
Models of care: New recommendations for continuity of care.
Vaping: New recommendations for screening and brief interventions.
Smoking: Updated recommendation on long‐acting nicotine replacement therapy.
Fetal anomalies: Updated recommendations for two ultrasound scans to assess fetal anomalies.
Risk of preterm birth: New recommendations on cervical length assessment and the use of progesterone and cervical cerclage for women at higher risk of preterm birth.
Risk of stillbirth: New recommendation for women to sleep on their side in late pregnancy.
Risk of preeclampsia: Updated guidance against repeated testing for proteinuria.
Social and emotional screening: Updated recommendations on screening for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women (including the use of the Kimberley Mum's Mood Scale), assessment for fathers and non‐birthing partners and assessment and care for women who may have experienced psychological birth trauma.
Syphilis: Updated recommendations to increase frequency of testing to three tests during pregnancy or five for women at higher risk.
Cytomegalovirus: Updated recommendations on risk factors.
Group B streptococcus: Updated recommendation for routine screening and new recommendation to discuss the implications of screening before requesting consent.
Nutritional supplements: Updated recommendation against vitamin D supplementation.
Full details of the recommendations are available in the guidelines [31].
TABLE 3.
Summary of main changes to guidance in the updated Australian Pregnancy Care Guidelines [31].
| Guideline section | Summary of key changes in guidance |
|---|---|
| Models of care (https://app.magicapp.org/#/guideline/jm83RE/section/E5AkbW) |
|
| Care for migrant and refugee women (https://app.magicapp.org/#/guideline/jm83RE/section/jboW4l) |
|
| Care for women with severe mental illness (https://app.magicapp.org/#/guideline/jm83RE/section/j96GBb) |
|
| Infant feeding (https://app.magicapp.org/#/guideline/jm83RE/section/E85Grb) |
|
| Medicines (https://app.magicapp.org/#/guideline/jm83RE/section/L48AVB) |
|
| Fasting for religious reasons (https://app.magicapp.org/#/guideline/jm83RE/section/EgJ2Dd) |
|
| Nutritional supplements (https://app.magicapp.org/#/guideline/jm83RE/section/ERlbPX) |
|
| Smoking, tobacco use and vaping (https://app.magicapp.org/#/guideline/jm83RE/section/nBMGr0) |
|
| Substance use (https://app.magicapp.org/#/guideline/jm83RE/section/Ea0Nld) |
|
| Gestational age (https://app.magicapp.org/#/guideline/jm83RE/section/EPNB9P) |
|
| Fetal growth and wellbeing (https://app.magicapp.org/#/guideline/jm83RE/section/jO3rO4) |
|
| Risk of preterm birth (https://app.magicapp.org/#/guideline/jm83RE/section/LG6Xdo) |
|
| Risk of stillbirth (https://app.magicapp.org/#/guideline/jm83RE/section/L0q45k) |
|
| Risk of preeclampsia (https://app.magicapp.org/#/guideline/jm83RE/section/E85Gaz) |
|
|
Pelvic floor health (https://app.magicapp.org/#/guideline/jm83RE/section/jOK2d9) |
|
| Social and emotional screening (https://app.magicapp.org/#/guideline/jm83RE/section/LrvNKR) |
|
| Family violence (https://app.magicapp.org/#/guideline/jm83RE/section/jXxJmA) |
|
| Psychological birth trauma (https://app.magicapp.org/#/guideline/jm83RE/section/nJ5lNQ) |
|
| Anaemia (https://app.magicapp.org/#/guideline/jm83RE/section/nYv4Vb) |
|
|
Gestational diabetes (https://app.magicapp.org/#/guideline/jm83RE/section/jDeKmV) |
|
| Sexual history assessment (https://app.magicapp.org/#/guideline/jm83RE/section/noV7gw) |
|
| Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (https://app.magicapp.org/#/guideline/jm83RE/section/jDJGDq) |
|
| Hepatitis B (https://app.magicapp.org/#/guideline/jm83RE/section/EvwNxV) |
|
| Hepatitis C (https://app.magicapp.org/#/guideline/jm83RE/section/jN2wOg) |
|
| Syphilis (https://app.magicapp.org/#/guideline/jm83RE/section/EdrZ5m) |
|
| Chlamydia (https://app.magicapp.org/#/guideline/jm83RE/section/jMpyBq) |
|
| Gonorrhoea (https://app.magicapp.org/#/guideline/jm83RE/section/Eke1ww) |
|
| Bacterial vaginosis (https://app.magicapp.org/#/guideline/jm83RE/section/EgaQer) |
|
| Group B streptococcus (https://app.magicapp.org/#/guideline/jm83RE/section/EQNOx2) |
|
| Cytomegalovirus (https://app.magicapp.org/#/guideline/jm83RE/section/j1O041) |
|
| Toxoplasmosis (https://app.magicapp.org/#/guideline/jm83RE/section/E5Ak08) |
|
| Human papillomavirus (https://app.magicapp.org/#/guideline/jm83RE/section/LrvNzG) |
|
|
Vaccines (https://app.magicapp.org/#/guideline/jm83RE/section/Lkko9X) |
|
Two topics undergo monthly surveillance searching, rather than the standard 6 months: progesterone and cervical cerclage for preventing preterm birth (seven recommendations), and cytomegalovirus (five recommendations). Four topics have been classified as stable: oral health checks, sexual activity, heartburn and haemorrhoids.
4.2. Australian Postnatal Care Guidelines
As of August 2026 (version 11), the Australian Postnatal Care Guidelines contain 149 recommendations on over 20 topics (Table 2) [32]. NHMRC has approved 135 recommendations to date.
Key areas of new guidance include:
Discharge planning: New guidance outlining care, assessment and education to be provided before discharge and communication between care providers.
Secondary postpartum haemorrhage: New guidance on advice for women on what to expect and when to seek assistance.
Perineal health and healing: New guidance on wound care, pain relief and advice for women on when to seek assistance.
Social and emotional screening: New guidance on screening for depression and anxiety and assessment of psychosocial risk factors, assessment for fathers and non‐birthing partners, screening for family violence, bereavement support and assessment and care for women who may have experienced psychological birth trauma.
Infant feeding: New guidance on breastfeeding, formula feeding and lactation suppression.
Full details of the recommendations are available in the guidelines [32].
All topics receive standard 6‐monthly surveillance searches, with the exception of one topic classified as stable: alcohol and breastfeeding.
5. Discussion
The LEAPP program has successfully transitioned a large existing guideline to living mode, while also developing a second, new living guideline. The guidelines draw on the method developed for COVID‐19 guidelines, expertise within the ALEC team and relationships of trust and goodwill with government agencies and professional organisations. A strong coalition of partners enables multifaceted consideration of guidance.
Living guidelines require substantial resourcing over an extended period, especially considering the ambitious scope of the LEAPP program, although evidence indicates that living guidelines bring a considerable return on investment [33].
Since 2023, the evidence team has screened over 13,000 research records, held more than 35 panel meetings and included over 150 individuals. Existing systematic reviews have been found addressing almost every topic, although care is required in selecting and appraising reviews [34]. Evidence synthesis has been updated by the ALEC team for only three topics (alcohol exposure, iodine supplementation and screening for gestational diabetes).
Although the guidelines address many topics of importance, the current scope excludes important areas such as complex pregnancies and care during labour and birth. Feedback indicates an expansion of the scope in these areas would be welcomed by decision‐makers.
Another challenge is research integrity [35, 36, 37]. An increasing number of studies in pregnancy have been retracted recently and efforts are underway to assess study reliability. This is a relatively new area of methods and ALEC is exploring options to integrate this type of assessment into the LEAPP program [38, 39].
Importantly, the LEAPP program is not funded to address knowledge translation (other than summaries of the guidelines), implementation, evaluation of impact or translation into languages other than English. Such work could substantively increase the impact of the guidelines on health outcomes.
The LEAPP program is funded until 2028 and will continue to update both guidelines, including the remaining content of the Australian Pregnancy Care Guidelines that was developed before 2020.
Author Contributions
Zoe Bradfield, Caroline S.E. Homer, Nisha Khot, Steve McDonald, Steven McGloughlin, Jeremy J.N. Oats, Anneliese Synnot, Tari Turner and Heath White contributed to conceptualisation of the guidelines and funding acquisition. Anneliese Arno, Shaira N. Baptista, Shannon Barnes, Steve McDonald, Loyal Pattuwage, Matthew Quigley, Abdulbasit Seid, Rachel Silk and Heath White contributed to data curation. Anneliese Arno, Shaira N. Baptista, Shannon Barnes, Miranda S. Cumpston, Loyal Pattuwage, Matthew Quigley, Abdulbasit Seid, Rachel Silk and Heath White contributed to formal analysis and validation. All authors contributed to investigation. Zoe Bradfield, Miranda S. Cumpston, Samantha P. Chakraborty, Nisha Khot, Steve McDonald, Steven McGloughlin, Tanya Millard, Jeremy J.N. Oats, Alecia Staines, Anneliese Synnot, Tari Turner and Heath White contributed to methodology. Anneliese Arno, Miranda S. Cumpston, Shannon Barnes, Abdulbasit Seid, Anneliese Synnot and Tari Turner contributed to project administration. Miranda S. Cumpston, Steven McGloughlin and Tari Turner contributed to supervision. Miranda S. Cumpston wrote the first draft of the manuscript, and all authors contributed to review and editing.
Funding
The Australian Pregnancy and Postnatal Care Guidelines are funded by the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (DHDA). DHDA has an observer role in the LEAPP Steering Committee and provides feedback on the draft guidelines through the public consultation process. DHDA approved a draft of this manuscript before submission for publication.
Disclosure
Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.
Conflicts of Interest
Interests of all members of the guideline development process are publicly declared in detailed reports attached to the Methods and Processes section of the Pregnancy (https://app.magicapp.org/#/guideline/jm83RE/section/EgaRpe) and Postnatal Guidelines (https://app.magicapp.org/#/guideline/jW0ZbL/section/EQN10w). In accordance with the Living Evidence in Australian Pregnancy and Postnatal Care (LEAPP) Guidelines' conflicts of interest policy, members with conflicts are not permitted to contribute to discussions on relevant sections of the guideline.
Supporting information
Data S1: mja270301‐sup‐0001‐supinfo.pdf.
Acknowledgements
The Living Evidence in Australian Pregnancy and Postnatal Care (LEAPP) Guideline Development Group includes Ishita Akhter, Naba Masad Alfayadh, Christine Andrews, Julianne Badenoch, Klair Bayley, Alice Bhasale, Jade Bilardi, Stephanie Bond, Angela Brown, Brendan Carrigan, Kate Cheney, Suet‐Wan Choy, Emily Condon, Megan Cooper, Allison Cummins, Amy Dawes, Alicia Dennis, Narelle Dickinson, Karen Edwards, Renee Eslick, Caitlin Fehring, Alysha‐leigh Fameli, Jane Fisher, Shelley Ford, Kendall George, Ahlia Griffiths, Cheryce Harrison, Melanie Hayman, Amanda Henry, Rachael Hickinbotham, Suzanne Higgins, Briony Hill, Jennifer Hocking, Naomi Hull, Ajit Kumar, Prudence Martawidjaja, Heather Mattner, Melanie McKenzie, Brendan McMullan, Catriona Melville, Natalie Merida, Jessica Michaels, Smruthy Nair, Joanne Newton, Tanya Nippita, Meaghan O'Donnell, Alexandra Owens, Dharmintra Pasupathy, Sharon Perrella, Marnie Poiner, Emma Preece Boyd, Ania Samarawickrama, Hayley See, Erin Seeto, Katrina Seng, Alexis Shub, Kavita Thanakrishnan, Kara Thompson, Lisa Vincze, Susan Walker, Kristy Watson, Jared Watts, Chloe Westwood, Helen White, Primrose White, Sara White, Naomi Whyler and Sarah Wright. Open access publishing facilitated by Monash University, as part of the Wiley ‐ Monash University agreement via the Council of Australasian University Librarians.
The authors would also like to thank the many other individuals who have contributed to aspects of the LEAPP Guidelines, as well as all members of the Australian Living Evidence Collaboration (ALEC) team for operational support.
Data Availability Statement
All data used in the development of the Australian Pregnancy and Postnatal Care Guidelines are publicly available in the guidelines and their attachments (including detailed evidence reports on each topic for which recommendations are made).
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Associated Data
This section collects any data citations, data availability statements, or supplementary materials included in this article.
Supplementary Materials
Data S1: mja270301‐sup‐0001‐supinfo.pdf.
Data Availability Statement
All data used in the development of the Australian Pregnancy and Postnatal Care Guidelines are publicly available in the guidelines and their attachments (including detailed evidence reports on each topic for which recommendations are made).