Maternal cultural practices for neonates' care in upper Egypt

Exploring harmful traditional practices and its associated factors among puerperal mothers who delivered in public health facilities in southwestern Ethiopia

Harmful traditional practices are deeply ingrained beliefs and behaviors within a society that significantly impact the well-being of mothers and children. In Ethiopia, there is limited awareness and comprehension concerning the prevalence of harmful traditional practices in the puerperal period. The underlying reasons for engaging in harmful cultural practices during this period at the community level remain inadequately studied. The main aim of this research is to investigate the prevalence of harmful traditional practices during the puerperal period and its associated factors in public health facilities of southwestern Ethiopia, 2023. A mixed-methods community-based cross-sectional approach was undertaken from June 1st to July 31st, 2023. The study utilized the 24 kebeles in the Ilubabor and Buno Bedele Zones of Southwest Ethiopia. Three hundred twenty puerperal mothers in selected kebeles found in Ilubabor and Buno Bedele zones met inclusion criteria during the data collection period. We used a pretested semi-structured questionnaire, supplemented by in-depth interviews and focused group discussions with purposively selected 18 mothers. We utilized backward multiple logistic regressions were utilized to evaluate the interplay between various factors, with statistical significance set at a P-value below 0.05. This finding disclosed that the prevalence of harmful traditional practices during the puerperal period was 76.3%. Factors such as educational status (AOR = 3.47, CI = 1.57-9.27), rural residency (AOR = 2, CI = 1.51-4.88), absence of antenatal care in the last pregnancy (AOR = 6.42, CI = 2.33-8.74), and the place of delivery for the most recent child (AOR = 1.7, CI = 1.15-4.07) were significantly associated with these practices. The findings underscore a substantial prevalence of harmful traditional practices among mothers during the puerperal period. It is imperative for the Zonal Health department, in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, to actively combat these practices within rural communities and healthcare facilities.

Stress and stressors experienced by the parents of high-risk neonates admitted in neonatal intensive care unit: Systematic review and meta-analysis evidence available from India

The aim of the systematic review and meta-analysis is to determine the stress and stressors experienced by the parents of high-risk neonates admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in India. We included both quantitative and qualitative studies. The Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist and Critical Appraisal Skill Programme checklist were used to assess the quality of included studies. A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, EMBASE, SCOPUS, EBSCOhost, Web of Science, ProQuest, Microsoft Academic, DOAJ, Indian Citation Index, and J-Gate to identify relevant studies. Additionally, online hand searching was performed on Indian websites of relevant institutions, women and child health departments, repositories, registries, and paediatric journals. Twelve of the 21 quantitative studies found that maternal stress was higher than fathers due to the separation from their babies and the medical condition of the neonate. One qualitative study reported that financial burden, alterations in the parenting role, and concern over domestic issues are significant causes of fathers' stress. A meta-analysis of the included studies assessed the prevalence of maternal, paternal, and parental stress and reported that mothers experienced higher stress levels than fathers across all subscales. The most typical stressors for parents were changes in neonatal looks, behaviour, and altered parental roles. Beyond the immediate NICU care and interactions, other triggering factors of stress among parents must be considered to design multicomponent interventions in a local (Indian) context. Moreover, parental psychological support and regular counselling can be incorporated into the standard neonatal intensive care policy.

The impact of umbilical cord care education given to Primiparous mothers on cord separation time: A randomized controlled study

PURPOSE

This study aims to determine the impact of umbilical cord care education given to primiparous mothers on cord separation time.

DESIGN AND METHODS

This randomized controlled trial was conducted according to the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) guidelines. The mothers constituting the research sample were divided into two groups, the control group and the education group, and cord care and cord separation times were measured.

RESULTS

The mean age of the mothers was 28.72 ± 4.86 years (min. 20 years, max. 40 years). There was no difference in age, gestational week of the baby, birth weight of the baby, gender of the baby and mode of delivery of the mother between the mothers in the control and education groups. While the cord separation time was 10.97 ± 0.320 days in the babies in the control group, it was 6.60 ± 0.177 days in the babies in the education group. A statistically significant difference was found between the duration of cord separation of the babies in the control and education groups.

CONCLUSIONS

This study showed that giving umbilical cord care education to primiparous mothers reduces umbilical cord separation time.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

It is recommended that pediatric nurses provide education on umbilical cord care and the goals and methods of application of care practices, especially to primiparous mothers.

CLINICAL REGISTRATION

This study was registered at the U.S. National Library of Medicine Clinical Trials (code: NCT05573737).