Abstract
Postpartum Maternal Self-Care and Perceived Family Support Among Mothers in a Sub-Population
Moromoke Blessing Daramola1, Oluwasayo Bolarinwa Ogunlade2, Adenike Funmilola Faremi3, Cecilia Bukola Bello4
Keywords: Maternal self-care, family support, postnatal women, postpartum
DOI: 10.63475/yjm.v4i3.0236
DOI URL: https://doi.org/10.63475/yjm.v4i3.0236
Publish Date: 31-12-2025
Download PDFPages: 630 - 636
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Author Affiliation:
1 Staff Nurse, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King’s Lynn, Norfolk, UK
2 Lecturer, Department of Nursing Science, Faculty of Basic Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria
3 Associate Professor, Department of Nursing Science, Faculty of Basic Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria
4 Associate Professor, Department of Nursing Science, Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, Nigeria
Abstract
Background: Maternal recovery and the newborn’s healthy development are paramount for mothers’ physical and mental well-being in the first 6 weeks after birth. The study aimed to assess reported postpartum self-care practices, family support received, and the barriers to practising postpartum self-care among postpartum mothers in Mother and Child Hospital, Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria.
Methods: The study adopted a descriptive cross-sectional research design. A total of 316 postpartum women from October 2020 to February 2021 were selected for the study. Data were collected using paper-based questionnaires and analysed with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), version 23, with descriptive and inferential statistics.
Results: Study findings showed that 68% of the post-partum women had good self-care practices in the physical, emotional, and spiritual self-care domains. The majority (82%) received assistance during the post-partum period for maternal and newborn care. A few (25%) identified financial, cultural, and religious beliefs as barriers to effective post-partum maternal self-care.
Conclusions: This study concluded that most postpartum women studied had good maternal self-care practice, good family post-partum self-care support, and a few had barriers to effective post-partum maternal care. This finding implies that community health nurses should strengthen family-centred postpartum care by reinforcing existing maternal self-care practices while proactively identifying and addressing barriers among women at risk of inadequate postpartum care.