Access to maternal care in India has certainly expanded over the past decade, even as mothers’ experiences during pregnancy and delivery after coming out of the delivery room remain uneven. The outcome for a mother in the weeks and months following delivery is breastfeeding struggles, poor follow-up after delivery and limited mental health support. At the Times Future of Maternity 2026, organized by Times Internet and Pregatips, practitioners and experts gathered to discuss a part of the maternity care ecosystem in India that often does not get much attention – what happens before birth, and more importantly, after birth.Beginning with a discussion on how to strengthen antenatal, postnatal, breastfeeding and mental support systems, the focus turned to breastfeeding, an area where India continues to see gaps despite clear global guidelines. Exclusive breastfeeding rates still vary widely across regions. Dr Deepti Arora, founding member of Everbliss Maternity and Family Wellbeing Leader, pointed to a pattern she sees again and again in practice. “Breastfeeding fails not because a mother doesn’t know how to do it, but because the guidance is so lacking that she feels like I don’t know how to do this simple thing.”Known challenges in the early days include pain due to incorrect latch, concerns about low milk supply, delayed weaning, and being emotionally overwhelmed. However, what stood out in Dr Arora’s comments was the lack of timely support and preparation rather than a lack of awareness. She stressed the need for early and sustained guidance rather than reactive intervention, saying, “Breastfeeding does not fail, but the system fails.”That idea of continuity came up again when the discussion turned to postpartum recovery. Dr Helai Gupta, senior consultant, obstetrics and gynaecology, Rosewalk Hospital, argued that the healthcare system often treats delivery as the end point rather than the beginning of a long recovery phase. “Postpartum care is the least medicalized stage in a woman’s life cycle,” she said.The adverse effects of that mentality are visible. Many aspects related to recovery do not receive much attention from medical teams, while the focus remains on delivery and discharge-related protocols. For example, sleep, hydration, mobility and mental health are areas that have been overlooked. Highlighting how even basic practices can have unintended consequences, Dr Gupta said limited water intake after delivery in some communities leads to dehydration, which impacts recovery and breastfeeding.Mental health, in particular, remains a weak link in the continuum of care. According to Dr Juhi Rachel Baluja, consultant psychiatrist at St Stephen’s Hospital, awareness about mental health has improved but the burden still remains, with anxiety disorders being the major areas of concern recorded during pregnancy and even after delivery. “In about 15-20% of cases… there will be some kind of underlying concern,” Dr. Baluja said, adding that such concerns are not limited to first-time mothers.In more severe cases, symptoms may develop into depression or psychosis and go unnoticed until they become severe. According to Dr. Baluja, many women are unable to see these changes, which basically makes the role of families important. Some early signs that need immediate attention are low self-confidence, inability to take care of the baby, and sadness.During the panel discussion around preparedness, the conversation then turned to prenatal education, which experts say is underutilized. Dr Rashmi Bawa, founder director of WellMom, a wellness platform for expectant mothers, described structured antenatal sessions as a low-cost, high-impact intervention. He said, “Structured prenatal education…is the lowest investment but highest yielding resource we have.”According to Dr. Bawa, when the available information is not deemed reliable enough, prenatal sessions help families understand what to expect and how to respond. Additionally, a shared space where parents-to-be can talk and learn from each other can help reduce anxiety and gain confidence before delivery. Time is also important here. For example, according to Dr. Arora, it is too late to provide guidance about breastfeeding after delivery, as the mother is already experiencing emotional stress while she is physically recovering. Therefore, preparation during pregnancy helps moms know what is normal and what is not, and react accordingly instead of panicking.This idea of continuity of care extends to how postpartum support systems are structured. According to Dr. Gupta, while current public health programs track mothers for six weeks after delivery, follow-up should be extended further. Digital tools, periodic check-ins, and structured screening can help identify early risk and boost outcomes in the long term.At the same time, experts said that the systems themselves are not enough, as what remains central, especially in the Indian context, is the role of the family. As Dr. Arora said, “If the mother is supported, breast milk flows; if she is doubted, it slows down.”Yet, current support structures focus more on the newborn, often ignoring the needs of the mother and the entire family. Dr. Bawa said that while postpartum care needs to move toward a more “parent-centered” approach, in many families it remains baby-centered. Furthermore, communication gaps between partners, lack of practical support, and societal expectations regarding care can increase stress during this stage.Experts also discussed the importance of involving extended family members in care planning. This is because older family members often have a say in decisions related to nutrition, health benefits and child care. Therefore, involving them in the process can help boost compliance and results.Throughout the panel, a theme of conversation was that maternal care spans preparation, delivery, recovery and adaptation to a new stage of life, rather than starting at delivery and ending at discharge. Therefore, coordination between healthcare providers, communities and families in addition to clinical protocols is important to strengthen antenatal, postnatal, breastfeeding and mental health structures. Why? Because for many women the most important time of care begins after childbirth.
