Meanings During the Postpartum Period: From Practices and Cultural Beliefs

Abstract

Objective: To describe the meaning that a mother gives to the cultural care of herself and her newborn during the postpartum period, from her practices and beliefs. Method: Ethnographic qualitative study made in Tunja, Colombia, in which eight postpartum women with normal delivery and four general informants, conformed by nurses and relatives of postpartum women. Data were analyzed using the ethnonursing four-step guide by Leininger, and through it we identified codes, recurring patterns and themes. Results and discussion: The meaning that a mother gives to the cultural care in the postpartum from her practice is diverse and is represented in each of the five themes that emerged from the study: the secret power of the plants, the risk of relapse, discovering her child’s world, her self-care, and protective foods. In contrast to the sunrise model, the factors of social structure that had greater influence correspond to beliefs, cultural values and lifestyles as well as the social factor of kinship. Then, we can identify the prevalence of the emic component in the cultural care during the postpartum period in relation with the etic component.