Health Guidance for Postpartum Life of Practicing Midwives

<p>Many mothers face postpartum difficulties as they adjust to their role as mothers while recovering both physically and mentally.</p><p>This study aimed to determine the instructions and information that independent midwives communicate to mothers during pregnancy and 3–4 months postpartum.</p><p>This study included 11 independent midwives from Community A. Focus group interviews were conducted, and the results were analyzed qualitatively and inductively.</p><p>The analysis revealed six basic categories of instruction: 1) prioritizing postpartum physical recovery, 2) providing breastfeeding and newborn care instruction during pregnancy and postpartum, 3) giving newborn care methods appropriate for both mother and baby, 4) dealing with crying or sleeping babies, 5) educating about home with the newborn who is adjusting to life changes, and 6) presenting information to help mothers adjust to postpartum life.</p><p>Health guidance content varied in terms of when it was communicated. Health guidance was thought to be communicated from the gestational period to promote parental role acquisition and awareness. Further, health guidance, during both the gestational and postpartum periods, conveyed information on coordinating family life and establishing connections with the community for smooth living. During the postpartum period, mothers may have been given information on promoting rest and relaxation, caring for themselves, and enhancing parental role acquisition that was appropriate for them and their children. Additionally, midwives informed mothers who had given birth outside of the midwifery center that they could use the center for consultations. This indicates that practicing midwives provided seamless support during pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum, offered support to mothers who had not given birth at the midwifery center, and presented the center as a place for consultations and childcare support to help them live smoothly in the community.</p>