Medical care offered in the first 28 days after childbirth, especially immediately afterward. Often suction is used to clear mucus from the infant’s air passages and silver nitrate or other ointment is put in the child’s eyes to prevent blinding infections. An Apgar score is performed in the minutes after delivery to assess quickly whether any special medical intervention is needed to aid the child. In the days just after childbirth, if the parents choose it and the child has no special medical problems, circumcision may also be performed. Some of these procedures have sparked considerable controversy: Some groups support actions seen as ensuring continuing good health in a baby, while others criticize those actions as invasive. Perinatal care overlaps with postnatal care, which extends through the first six weeks after delivery.