Abstract

Objectives: To determine postpartum primipara mothers' traditional practices & beliefs concerning maternal & newborn care at primary health care centers.
Methodology: This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed at primary health care centers in Port Said City, Egypt from January to August 2023. A purposive sample of 178 primipara mothers who came to primary health care centers were included. We reccorded demographic, questions about primipara mothers related to their obstetric history, maternal & neonatal care.
Results: A statistically significant difference was detected between participant mother newborn beliefs & practices. The majority (88.8%) of them ate foods rich in protein & prayed to God. However; 78.6% baby care beliefs & practices was to wrap a baby tightly to strengthen the body. While 95.5%, 91%, & 90.9% did not rub the body with herbs or oil to get the air out of the womb, did not avoid breastfeeding the baby & did not add herbs to water to promote wound healing, respectively. The majority (83.1%) had a high level of practices about increasing breast milk supply.
Conclusions: Majority of primipara mothers ate foods rich in protein & prayed to God. More than three quarters of them used baby care beliefs & practices to wrap a baby tightly to strengthen the body.

Key words: Postpartum, culture, maternal health services, newborn.