Family Planning is about making informed decisions related to child bearing and the time of pregnancies. DSHS and DOH have recently implemented a number of programs to improve knowledge and use of family planning methods and to increase access to family planning providers - critical factors for effective family planning. Although data are not yet available to evaluate these new programs, information is available to document their importance and to describe basic relationships between child bearing and other life events. Data from the First Steps Database provide a unique opportunity to describe the family planning traits of women who recently gave birth. The postpartum period offers a special opportunity for women and their medical care providers to review the importance of spacing pregnancies and to consider the available family planning options.
