THE AWARENESS AND PRACTICES OF POSTNATAL CARE IN MOTHERS DELIVERED AT A TERTIARY CARE CENTRE: A HOSPITAL-BASED STUDY

Abstract

Introduction: The postpartum period is the most crucial phase in a mother’s life. The unawareness of

postpartum care can have disastrous consequences on both the mother and newborn. This study helps

in the identification of gaps in postpartum care by studying awareness and practices in our postnatal

women. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital in Delhi, India

between July 2022 to May 2023. Ethical clearance was obtained. About 200 postnatal women were

enrolled in the postnatal clinic during their follow-up visit at six weeks of delivery. After informed consent,

the details were collected as per the predesigned proforma. The awareness and practices on

breastfeeding, family planning, and postpartum health were recorded. Results: Among 200 women,

the majority were in the age group of 25 to 30 years. About 51% were multipara and 33.5% were

graduates and most belonged to upper lower socioeconomic class. About 86.5% were aware of

exclusive breastfeeding practice and 81.5% had awareness of family planning methods. About 73% of

our participants were aware of postnatal danger signs. The prevalence of anemia was 70.4% and 56.5%

were noncompliant with iron and calcium supplements. Conclusion: Postnatal care constitutes an

indispensable component of maternal health care. The high prevalence of postpartum anemia and non-compliance

to iron and calcium intake among our postnatal mothers calls for an urgent need to

emphasize counseling regarding the diet as well as iron and calcium prophylaxis during the discharge

of postnatal women.