What Women Say About Post-Partum Care and Breastfeeding in St. Petersburg, Russian Federation

A capacity-buildingprogramme for professionals in maternal and child health care in St. Petersburg, Russian Federation, was begun in 1994. The programme was designed for health care professionals in the city, and provided 12 workshops in evidence-based antenatal, intrapartum and post-partum care as well as appropriate preparation of parents for pregnancy, birth and parenthood.As part of this initiative, women’s observations on the quality of their maternity care services during their transition to parenthood were explored. This article deals with women’s knowledge of, attitudes towards and practices during post-partum care and breastfeeding in St. Petersburg. These reports describe maternity care practices in the former Soviet Union.