During the 12 weeks following delivery, a woman must recover from pregnancy and childbirth, adapt to changing hormones, body image and role, learn to feed and care for her newborn, and navigate relationships and expectations with her partner, family, friends, co-workers and other children if she has them.

Mothers with limited resources must also access services for themselves and their infants within a system that is often complex and not consumer-centered. During this 4th Trimester, many women and their families experience considerable, interrelated biopsychosocial challenges that are insufficiently supported by health care providers, employers and the community. These challenges are amplified for women of color in the United States.