1.The Legislature finds and declares that: a. Pregnancy is a significant health event in the lives of many women that presents unique physical, mental, and medical issues, many of which a woman will not encounter at any other point in her life.
b.Women experiencing pregnancy, particularly a first pregnancy, frequently lack information and guidance concerning many of the physical symptoms encountered during and after pregnancy. Because so many aspects of a woman's body change during pregnancy, it can be difficult to determine when a particular symptom is normal or may be a sign of an adverse complication that requires medical attention, particularly with regard to symptoms occurring during the postpartum period and after a pregnancy loss or stillbirth.
c.Maternal mortality and morbidity
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1. The Legislature finds and declares that: a. Pregnancy is a significant health event in the lives of many women that presents unique physical, mental, and medical issues, many of which a woman will not encounter at any other point in her life. b. Women experiencing pregnancy, particularly a first pregnancy, frequently lack information and guidance concerning many of the physical symptoms encountered during and after pregnancy. Because so many aspects of a woman's body change during pregnancy, it can be difficult to determine when a particular symptom is normal or may be a sign of an adverse complication that requires medical attention, particularly with regard to symptoms occurring during the postpartum period and after a pregnancy loss or stillbirth. c. Maternal mortality and morbidity rates have increased over the last 20 years both in New Jersey and nationwide, which increased rates have disproportionately affected minority communities. In many cases, the common causes of maternal mortality, including excessive bleeding and infection, are preventable if diagnosed and treated in a timely manner. Moreover, postpartum, pregnancy loss, and stillbirth issues that are not typically fatal can seriously affect a woman's quality of life if left untreated. d. Frequently, postpartum issues cannot be detected before the woman is discharged from the hospital. Many symptoms do not manifest until after the woman has returned home, and issues may occur up to one year after birth. It is estimated that between one-third and one-half of pregnancy-associated deaths occur during the postpartum period. All women are susceptible to postpartum complications, not just those identified as "high risk" for complications during pregnancy. e. As many as 40 percent of women never seek out or receive postpartum care, which represents a missed opportunity to screen for postpartum issues and provide necessary medical care. f. Although New Jersey has taken significant steps to improve the provision of maternity care in this State, more needs to be done to ensure that women have the information and resources necessary to enable them to identify and seek treatment for potentially fatal postpartum, pregnancy loss, and stillbirth issues. g. Therefore, it is essential that women have the opportunity to develop an individualized postpartum treatment plan in the course of prenatal care and that they be provided with postpartum care, pregnancy loss, and stillbirth information prior to discharge, including information about normal and abnormal postpartum symptoms, to enable them to make informed observations about their postpartum, pregnancy loss, and stillbirth experiences and seek out medical care when needed. L.2024, c.89, s.1.