Pilot study: quality of life assessment of postnatal fatigue and other physical morbidity

Postnatal morbidity is increasingly recognized, but standard assessments may not capture what is most important to the woman with such morbidity in terms of her quality of life. The Mother-Generated Index (MGI) is a proposed postnatal quality-of-life instrument which allows the mother to determine both content and scoring. In this pilot study we found that although a degree of psychological and physical morbidity (including tiredness) is common, and may be very significant, for most women these factors are low-grade, and other aspects of their lives are more important. A quality-of-life approach allows the mother to determine her own postnatal assessment, and encourages practitioners to view her more holistically.