Nepalese women's cultural beliefs and practices regarding postpartum period

Abstract

Introduction: This study is carried out to assess the postnatal traditional beliefs and practices among women of Bajhang district. Postpartum is an hour after the delivery of the placenta and the following 6 weeks. Methodology: An Explanatory Sequential Mixed Method was carried out in Jayaprithvi municipality, Bajhang district. A self administrative questionnaire was the data collection tool, and all women (124 women) having children below 2 years of age and residing in those areas were selected using the census sampling method from randomly selected wards for the quantitative survey. For the qualitative part, 21 young women, who had delivered at least one live baby, were selected purposively. The focus group discussion (FGD) was used as the data collection tool. Results: The findings show that postnatal practices are being influenced by several cultural beliefs and practices transmitted from generation to generation. Most of the practices were harmful to health; however, some traditional practices were beneficial to the mother and baby. Discussion: It is essential for planning and implementing health education programs for these women to be aware of beneficial and harmless practices and try to use scientific knowledge as a mean of eradication of the harmful ones. In the same way. Conclusion: Socio cultural practices need to be promoted, and some certain traditional medicines that have been used in society since ancient times should be identified and uplifted to improve the maternal and neonatal survival rates in Nepal, For this, maternity care providers must partner with local women and provide locally based primary maternity care. It can be recommended that future research should emphasize the in-depth study of cultural beliefs and practices and associated spiritual belief.