According to the National Childbirth Trust (NCT) report, many new mothers are left unprepared and unsupported by the NHS after the delivery of the child. The charity says that many first-time mothers are denied proper postnatal care.

The report titled ‘Postnatal Care—a Cinderella story’ is based on the survey of as many as 1,260 new mothers, who felt let down, helpless, isolated, and forsaken by the care during their stay in the hospital.

Almost 50% said in the survey that they didn’t receive the kind of emotional support that they expected during the first 24 hours of giving birth to a child.

Many new mothers complained that there was shortage of midwives and also got conflicting information.

Clare Wilson had to undergo an emergency caesarean operation to deliver her eldest son. After the birth, she was expecting a complete post-natal care. But she was left unattended by midwives and had to take shower on her own. She also had to go and get food for herself alone.

NICE has recommended that a personalised postnatal care plan should be available to all women, but 96% women are not covered in the plan.

A Department of Health spokeswoman said that the Government in association with Royal College of Midwives, the NHS, and other partners is working to design new provider networks, in order to improve the quality of maternity care and expand the available choices to every pregnant woman.