The frequency of contacts that women and their newborns have with health care providers is increasing globally, even in some high mortality settings. Increased access to the continuum of care for mothers and newborns is important for improved survival. Beyond the delivery of life-saving interventions at each stage of care, women who receive care in pregnancy are more likely to go on to have a skilled attendant at birth when the majority of deaths occur. It has been estimated that between 13% and 33% of maternal deaths could be eliminated by the presence of a skilled attendant at delivery, as could approximately 25% of newborn deaths.
However, increases in contact, especially delivery by a skilled attendant, has not been consistently linked to decreases in maternal or neonatal mortality in recent years, a reflection in part of the low quality of care provided in many resource poor settings. In the context of this increasing coverage, there is a need to focus on the quality of contacts that have the potential to save lives: antenatal care, delivery with a skilled attendant, and health checks for mother and newborn within 48 hours of birth.