Most women don't stay in the hospital long enough after giving birth to receive quality postnatal care.
That's according to a report from the World Health Organization. It recommends that women stay in the hospital for at least 24 hours after a vaginal birth and 72 hours after cesarean-section delivery.
The WHO report says the numbers vary depending on the region, but up to 83 percent of women aren't staying long enough after vaginal deliveries, and 75 percent are leaving too soon after a C-section delivery.
Ninety-two countries were examined in the study, only 10 of which were low-income nations. The length of a hospital stay varied greatly.
In Egypt, women only remained in the hospital half a day after a vaginal birth, while women in Ukraine spent more than 6 days in the hospital.
The WHO says the reasons so many women leave the hospital early aren't well understood, but it may have something to do with social norms and the health care systems themselves.
The group recommends countries take a closer look at what's causing the problem and more clearly define appropriate care standards after childbirth.
This video includes a clip from the World Health Organization and an image from Getty Images.
