An estimated two-thirds of childhood deaths occur in infancy, and, in turn, two-thirds of infant deaths occur in the first month of life. In addition to these four million neonatal deaths, due principally to serious bacterial infections, birth asphyxia, and complications of prematurity and intrauterine growth restriction, an estimated 3.9 million pregnancies end in stillbirth. A review of the evidence for interventions during the antenatal, intrapartum, and post-delivery periods on neonatal mortality identified a number of proven interventions, which, if implemented widely in developing countries, could avert an estimated half of neonatal deaths. Research suggests that integration of maternal and neonatal health care services is key to optimizing costs and health benefits for mothers and their newborns. This is particularly so if a given intervention has potential direct health benefits for both mothers and newborns. Major questions remain, however, regarding cost-effective implementation of maternal and neonatal health interventions at scale in the community in a manner that links preventive care in the home and community with care-seeking and curative care at health facilities. Lancet Neonatal Survival Series Community-based Interventions to Reduce Neonatal Mortality in Bangladesh Evaluation of a Package of Community-based Interventions on Maternal Health in Rural Communities in Bangladesh Etiology, Prevention and Treatment of Neonatal Infections in the Community, Mirzapur Clinical Algorithm and Verbal Autopsy Validation Study, Mirzapur Design and Evaluation of an Integrated Safe Motherhood, Neonatal and Family Planning Program in Nepal Evaluation Research to Improve Newborn Health and Survival, CARE India Newborn Thermal Care Practices in Rural India: Community-based Program to Prevent and Improve Recognition and Management of Hypothermia Evaluation of the Acceptability, Safety, and Utility of Skin-to-Skin Care in the Community in Rural Uttar Pradesh, India (Kangaroo Mother Care) Process Documentation: Learning from Implementation Experience of the Urban Health Resource Center (UHRC) in Urban Slums of North India Formative Research on Health Fertility Practices and Postpartum Care in Sylhet District, Bangladesh MotherNewBorNet Determining the Burden of Maternal Ill Health and Death and its Programmatic Implications in Rural Bangladesh Secondary Analysis of the Bangladesh Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Survey Assessment of Levels of Unwanted Childbearing and its Health Consequences for Mothers in Rural Bangladesh Raising the Age at Marriage Among Young Women in Rural Bangladesh Association of Malaria and HIV-1-RNA in Blood of Adults in Rakai, Uganda Evaluation of chlorhexidine introduction strategy in Sylhet District, Bangladesh Impact of umbilical cord cleansing with chlorhexidine on neonatal mortality and omphalitis in rural Sylhet district of Bangladesh |