Promoting Health of Muslim Women During Antepartum, Intrapartum, and Postpartum Periods

Abstract

This study aimed to describe the utilization of traditional birth attendants’ services in promoting health of Muslim women during antepartum, intrapartum and postpartum
periods in term of choices of services, satisfaction and perception of benefits of the services.
One hundred and one women who had experiences of using the traditional birth attendants’
services were recruited. Data regarding traditional birth attendants’ services provision were collected using a set of questionnaires. Their content validity was examined by three experts.
The questionnaires on choices of services and satisfaction of the traditional birth attendants’
services were examined for reliability using test-retest method, yielding the percentage of agreement between 2 time measures of 96.78 and 90.46, respectively. The data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, and content analysis.
The results showed that 96.04% of subjects used traditional birth attendants’ services
during their antepartum period. During their pregnancy, the incantation water was the most commonly used service (91.75%), followed by general antenatal care service (88.66%),
lifting the womb (87.63%), and practicing following the birth attendants’ suggestions (85.57%).
Overall subjects were satisfied with traditional birth attendants’ services during antepartum period at a moderate level. (M = 3.44, SD = 0.87)
During their intrapartum period, only 40.59% of the subjects used traditional birth attendants’ services. They were most commonly used for empowerment on their childbirth (92.68%), followed by pain reduction (63.41%), and childbirth preparation (60.98%). Overall subjects were satisfied with traditional birth attendants’ services during the intrapartum period at a high level. (M = 3.73, SD = 1.02) 

During their postpartum period, all subjects used traditional birth attendants’ service (100%).
Uterine massage was the most commonly used service (90.10%), followed by abdominal warming massage using heated stone (79.21%), breast massage (66.34%), herbal bath
(66.34%), and herbal therapy for lochia removal (63.37%). Overall subjects were satisfied
with traditional birth attendants’ services during postpartum period at a high level. (M = 3.80, SD = 0.80)
In addition, the subjects reported that the benefits of using traditional birth attendants’
services were making them healthy and comfortable, reducing the delivery period and labor
pain, getting support, happiness and peacefulness, and economization.
The findings indicate that the traditional birth attendants’ services can be useful to
be integrated into midwifery care for improving Muslim women’s health during antepartum, intrapartum, and postpartum periods.