Impact of prenatal counseling on postpartum cares among primigravida women

Abstract Introduction: Increasing knowledge and improving the practice of women in their own health and their infants during postpartum is an important strategy for maternal and neonatal health. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of prenatal counseling on knowledge and practice of postpartum care in primigravida women. Materials and Method: A quasi-experimental study was conducted on health centers of Hamadan city in 2017. Using a stratified sampling, 96 primigravida women 32-34 weeks qualified to enter the intervention and control groups. Knowledge of Postpartum Care were gathered by questionnaires before intervention and 42 days after delivery and practice of postpatum care was assessed 42 days after delivery with using national Sib Samaneh. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 20. Results: Unlike the control group, the mean scores of maternal knowledge of postpartum care in the intervention group increased from 17.7 ± 1.7 to 31.26 ± 6.6 before and after intervention and there was a significant difference (P<0.05), also, the mean scores of mothers' practice on postpartum care in the intervention group were more than the control group (13 ± 1.5, 10.9 ± 0.9), and the difference was significant (P< 0/05). Conclusion: The results of this study show the positive effects of prenatal counseling on increasing the level of knowledge and improving the practice of postpartum care in primigravida women. Therefore, due to various postpartum problems, it is recommended that appropriate education be provided before delivery.