Contraceptive Counseling for Postpartum Moms during Pediatric Visits

Researchers are conducting a pilot study in collaboration with University of Kansas Pediatric Clinic to prepare for a large-scale trial examining the impact of contraceptive counseling for moms at their infants’ pediatric visits on postpartum contraceptive use. Over half of all pregnancies in the United States are unplanned, with a substantial share occurring after insufficient spacing between pregnancies, contributing to morbidity and mortality risk for mothers and babies. The researchers hypothesize that many postpartum women have insufficient contact with providers who traditionally counsel on family planning, but that these moms are in frequent contact with the medical system through their infants’ pediatrician visits, which provide repeat opportunities for contraceptive counseling and follow-up. The objectives of the pilot study are to collect baseline data to identify a key target population and conduct a sample size calculation, assess the acceptability of the proposed intervention, develop protocols and data collections systems, and to identify potential complementary interventions to increase the implementation and impact of the program. The findings of this pilot will be used to design a full-scale effectiveness trial assessing program impact on postpartum contraceptive use.