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Given the exceptional extent to which the deaths of mothers and babies occur in the first days after birth, the early postnatal period is the ideal time to deliver interventions to improve the health and survival of both the newborn and the mother. Yet policies and programs have largely overlooked this critical time, hindering efforts to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for maternal and child survival. These goals can be advanced, however, by integrating postnatal care for newborns and mothers, which is a practical and feasible strategy for reducing deaths and disability in newborns and women.