Postpartum Practices of Parturient Women in Enugu, South East Nigeria

Abstract

Background:Postpartum period is an important and interesting period in the life of the nursing mothers. It is a medically neglected period that receives relatively less attention than pregnancy and delivery.Aim:To describe the postpartum practices of women in Enugu, South East Nigeria.Subject and Methods:This was a cross sectional study of women attending the postnatal care clinic at the UNTH, Enugu. Data was abstracted and analyzed with statistical software for social sciences version 12.0. The results were presented by percentages. Binomial logistic regression was used to determine the association between some socio-demographic variables and resumption of coitus. P value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results:Out of the 420 mothers, 68.9% (289/420) resumed coitus within 6 weeks of delivery. Only 14.7% (62/420) used contraception before resumption of coitus. There was no significant association when the model was adjusted for age (OR, 1.132, 95% CI (0.691-1.867), P = 0.612.), Parity (OR, 1.273, 95% CI (0.812-1.996), P = 0.292) and education (OR, 0.713, 95% CI (0.433-1.173), P = 0.183). Twenty five percent [25.2% (106/420)] of the women drank various forms of alcoholic beverages to induce lactation while 80.2% (337/420) of the women applied hot compresses on the lower abdomen to aid lochia drainage and involution of the uterus, 75% (315/420) of the women sat in hot water salt (Nacl) solution (sitz bath) in the immediate postpartum to aid lochia drainage, aid perineal wound healing and improve vaginal tone.Conclusion:There is need for medical attention and education on beneficial postpartum practices among women in Enugu, South East Nigeria. Thus, to reduce the associated maternal morbidities in the postpartum period.

Infant feeding practices among parturient women in rural communities of Anambra State, Nigeria

“…It is also advised that breast feeding women should eat an adequate, varied diet. 14 The WHO stated that breast feeding forms an integral part of reproductive process with important implications for the health of mothers. 3 Hence, breast feeding practice should never be compromised.…”

Doğum Sonu Dönemde Yapılan Geleneksel Uygulamalar

“…21,23  Tayland, Vietnam, Kamboçya, Meksika, Nijerya, Guatemala ve Hmong gibi bölgelerde uterusun (rahimin) toparlanmasına yardımcı olmak ve perineal yara iyileşmesini hızlandırmak için sıcak kompres, sıcak tuzlu su çözeltisine oturma, karnın bağlanması gibi yöntemler uygulanır. 21,24  Hindistan'daki anneler arasında süt, fındık gibi yiyeceklerin dengeyi yeniden kazanmaya yardımcı olduğu düşünülmektedir. Kore'de, kahverengi deniz yosunu ve et suyu doğum sonrası kadının vücudunu temizlemek ve anne sütünü arttırmak için kullanılır.…”

“…Nijerya'da lohusa emzirmeyi uyarmak için çeşitli alkollü içecekler (Hurma şarabı gibi) tüketebilmektedir 24. Kolostrumu çevreleyen inançlardan dolayı, bazı kültürlerde emzirme gecikebilmektedir.…”

Predictors of puerperal menstruation

“…Puerperal period is an important and thought-provoking period in the life of puerperal mothers. It is a period that receives relatively less attention than pregnancy and delivery and such neglect may trigger unintended pregnancy [1,2]. This is because, women are frequently fecund postpartum before they realize it [2].…”

“…All these factors may affect the duration of postpartum amenorrhea. Although, there have been previous studies on postpartum practices among parturients, none has studied the timing of initiation of menses in a Nigerian population [ 1 , 18 ]. Again, anecdotal reports have indicated that there is increasing number of women resuming menstruation within six weeks of childbirth irrespective of exclusive breastfeeding [personal communication].…”