The France perinatal care report 2026, entitled “Pour une politique périnatale à la hauteur des enjeux” (roughly, “For a perinatal policy equal to the challenges”), was submitted to France’s health minister in September 2026. It starts from one figure: infant mortality rose from 3.5 per 1,000 live births in 2011 to 4.1 per 1,000 in 2024. Its proposals directly affect parents-to-be: care after the birth, choosing a maternity unit, breastfeeding and preventing sudden unexpected infant death. These are recommendations, not yet decisions.
France perinatal care report 2026: where does this document come from?
On 5 February 2026, France’s health minister asked four leading specialists to carry out a review: a midwife, an obstetrician-gynaecologist, an anaesthetist and intensive care specialist, and a paediatrician. Their terms of reference asked for an “operational action plan with concrete proposals covering the whole care pathway, from planning a pregnancy to the postpartum period”. The deadline set was six months.
A first set of proposals was made public in a press release on 8 July 2026. The final report, dated September 2026, is signed by Prof. Marie-Pierre Bonnet, Prof. Elsa Kermorvant and Prof. Loïc Sentilhes. The fourth member, midwife Eliette Bruneau, chose not to co-sign it on 18 September. She felt there were too many passages without consensus, particularly on birth centres. The report records her dissenting positions in an appendix.
Why is infant mortality causing so much concern?
Because France stands out as an exception. According to the report, nearly 2,700 children died before their first birthday in 2024, or about one child in 250. The rise is concentrated in the neonatal period: between the 1st and the 27th day of life, the rate went from 1.5 per 1,000 in 2011 to 2.0 per 1,000 in 2024.
The contrast with neighbouring countries is clear. In 2023, infant mortality stood at 4.0 per 1,000 in France against 3.3 per 1,000 in the European Union. Between 2011–2013 and 2021–2023, it fell in the vast majority of OECD countries, whereas France is one of the few countries where it rose. We explain the definitions and the gaps between regions in our article on infant mortality in France.
The review refuses to point to a single cause. It cites how care is organised, staffing levels among health professionals, prevention and social inequalities. It also raises the question of “historic underfunding” of perinatal health, and recommends a “significant” increase in resources.
The proposals that would change parents’ everyday lives
The report contains several dozen recommendations, many of which concern how hospitals are organised. The ones below directly affect families, before and after the birth.
Care after the birth fully reimbursed (100%) up to 42 days
At present, postpartum care is covered at 100% for the 12 days after the birth, then at 70%. Only the postnatal check-up, between the 6th and the 8th week, remains covered at 100%. The review proposes extending full coverage to all appointments up to 42 days. It points to how common complications are during this period: infections, bleeding, thrombosis and breastfeeding difficulties.
It also recommends organising continuity of care at home from the stay in the maternity unit onwards. This ties in with the question of early discharge, which we cover in our article on length of stay in the maternity unit. A new version of PRADO, the home-return programme run by the Assurance Maladie (France’s national health insurance), would be targeted at the most isolated or vulnerable mothers.
A named midwife and an easier-to-access antenatal interview
The review wants to make the named-midwife scheme clearer; it is meant to guarantee a care pathway “without breaks and without duplication”. It would also like to refocus the early antenatal interview on spotting vulnerabilities. For the most vulnerable women, it could take place at home or by video consultation. Figures on take-up of this interview are in our article on the early antenatal interview.
Choosing a maternity unit with public indicators
The report proposes publishing activity, quality and safety indicators for each maternity unit. The stated aim is to allow women to “choose their hospital with full transparency”. It also recommends making the birth plan standard practice, presented as a tool for dialogue between the couple and the team.
The “zero separation” principle
The review asks for the principle of “zero separation” between mother and newborn to be written into future regulations. It would apply in the delivery room, the operating theatre, the recovery room, the neonatal unit and during transfers. It would also like to promote the model of parents as partners in care in neonatal units. For parents of a baby born too early, our article on the corrected age of a premature baby explains how to follow their development afterwards.
What does the report propose for breastfeeding and newborns?
On breastfeeding, the review adopts the targets of the Haut Conseil de la santé publique (France’s High Council for Public Health). It aims for 85% of babies breastfed at birth and at least 75% exclusively breastfed at birth. It proposes increasing the median length of exclusive breastfeeding from 6 to 8 weeks. Another goal is for at least 40% of babies to be exclusively or predominantly breastfed at two months. The report stresses respect for each woman’s decision. Current rates are set out in our article on breastfeeding in France.
On sudden unexpected infant death, the report notes that it remains the leading circumstance of death between 1 month and 1 year. It affects 250 to 350 babies each year, with a peak between 2 and 4 months. The review considers it preventable in one case in two and calls for stronger national campaigns. The main risk factor remains an unsuitable sleeping position or space, especially sleeping on the tummy: the rules are explained in our article on safe sleep for babies.
What the report says about maternity units and the PMI
The question of maternity unit closures is one of the most sensitive. The review does not set a minimum number of births. It proposes to “break the deadlock” with a national multi-criteria framework, transparent and public, based on local assessments that would also be published. This framework would guide France’s regional health agencies (agences régionales de santé) in their decisions.
When a maternity unit stops delivering babies, it can become a local perinatal centre. The report wants to broaden the role of these centres: pregnancy follow-up, prevention, screening, vaccination and support after the birth. It also proposes developing accommodation near the maternity unit at the end of pregnancy, for the child and the partner. This scheme is aimed at women who live more than 45 minutes’ drive away.
Another symbolic proposal: allowing families to choose their child’s official place of birth. This would be the town of the centre providing follow-up, the town of residence or the town where the birth took place. The actual place of birth would not change.
On the PMI (protection maternelle et infantile, France’s mother and child health service), the report wants to refocus the services on prevention and on caring for those in vulnerable situations. To find out how an appointment works today, see our article on the first PMI appointment.
What remains to be decided
A review report is not binding. Several proposals require a decree, a law or a budget decision, notably the 100% coverage up to 42 days. The text first recommends revising the 1998 perinatal decrees, considered outdated, and recreating a national steering body.
Some next steps depend on other work. The Haute Autorité de santé (HAS, France’s National Authority for Health) is looking into staffing ratios in obstetrics and neonatology, with conclusions expected at the end of 2026. For parents, nothing changes at this stage. Current entitlements remain those of the Assurance Maladie and the existing care pathway.
In summary
- The France perinatal care report 2026 was submitted to the health minister in September 2026, without the signature of one of its four members.
- It starts from a rise in infant mortality, from 3.5 per 1,000 in 2011 to 4.1 per 1,000 in 2024, concentrated in the first month of life.
- For families, it proposes postpartum care covered at 100% up to 42 days and public indicators for each maternity unit.
- It also calls for the “zero separation” principle and stronger campaigns against sudden unexpected infant death.
- These are recommendations: none applies until a legal text puts it into effect.
Sources
- Bonnet M.-P., Kermorvant E., Sentilhes L., “Pour une politique périnatale à la hauteur des enjeux. Changer de cadre, changer de modèle pour les femmes, les nouveau-nés et leurs familles”, review report submitted to the French Ministry of Health, September 2026 (sante.gouv.fr).
- Haut Conseil de la santé publique, breastfeeding targets adopted by the report (2024 opinion).
- Maruthappu M. et al., study on public health spending and maternal mortality in 24 European Union countries, BJOG, 2015, cited by the report.
