The Effects of Applying the Postpartum Care Knowledge to the Postpartum Women with Yoo- Fai, Muang District, Udon Thani Province

Abstract

This action research aimed to study the effects of applying the postpartum care knowledge to the postpartum women with Yoo- Fai, which were their health status and their self- caring in the first month of postpartum period, Muang District, Udon Thani Province.The purposive sampling was used and gathered the 20 normal postpartum women living in Muang District, Udon Thani Province. The research methods were the questionnaires including an interview form and general information. The quality of research methods was testified using the expert panel for the content validation with earning IOC = 0.75 and the Cronbach's alpha coefficient for reliability with alpha = 0.75. The data had been collected from April- October 2017 and were analyzed using frequency and percentage and content analysis for qualitative data

The study results revealed that in the first month of postpartum period, the postpartum women with Yoo-Fai reported that they applied knowledge of postpartum care to practice as follows: placing a fire litter in a good ventilation area, keeping the perineal wound and doing breastfeed away from the fire, drinking the warm and herbal water for increasing blood circulation and increase milk supply, taking a warm bath for 3 - 4 times a day, eating as usual without Slang food, using charcoal, covering the herbs on a fire litter, staying on the Yoo-Fai period for 7 - 9 days. From their health assessment, it was found that there was a normal health status with normal vital signs, no signs of postpartum hemorrhage and perineum infection. The postpartum women reported their comfort without muscle pain, sufficient breast milk for their baby's need, uterus being good involution and the lochia disappearing within 14 days after giving birth. Based on the research results, the knowledge of postpartum practice was appropriate and helped to prevent the postpartum complications from Yoo- Fai. It also provided nursing care that was consistent with the context of the community health belief.