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conferenceseries
.com
Volume 6, Issue 4 (Suppl)
J Nurs Care, an open access journal
ISSN: 2167-1168
World Nursing 2017
July 10-12, 2017
23
rd
World Nursing and Healthcare Conference
July 10-12, 2017 Berlin, Germany
Changes in traditional postpartum rituals in a modern healthcare context: An ethnographic study
Yueh-Chen Yeh
1
, Yu-Ping Huang
2
and
Yeu-Hui Chuang
3
1
National Taichung University of Science and Technology, Taiwan
2
National Quemoy University, Taiwan
3
Taipei Medical University, Taiwan
I
n Chinese culture, postpartum women are considered to be weak, vulnerable to a Yin and Yang imbalance, and in need of special
care. They are encouraged to follow the traditional postpartum practice called “doing the month,” which is a 30-day ritual involving
physical and social prescriptions and taboos. Traditionally, Chinese and Taiwanese postpartum women perform this practice at
home. Currently, many Taiwanese women undertake this ritual in postpartum nursing centers (PNCs). However, information on
how the PNCs have modified the traditional Chinese postpartum practices for first-time mothers in the context of modern healthcare
is limited. The present ethnographic study conducted the observations and formal interviews of 27 first-time mothers at a PNC in
Taipei, Taiwan. The present study observed that the “doing the month” ritual has been adapted to modern healthcare requirements
through the relocation of home settings to healthcare facilities. At these facilities, nurses assume the roles traditionally held by family
members, thus influencing the family structure and relationships. In addition, adherence to the traditional dietary, hygiene, activity,
and social restrictions varied. Although some practices were performed on the basis of traditional justifications, many were modified
or abandoned on the basis of current scientific justifications. The present study provides information that may aid healthcare
professionals in guiding postpartum women to integrate traditional beliefs with modern healthcare and evidence-based practices.
Nurses and midwives must be respectful towards their clients’ beliefs. In addition, respect and flexibility should be maintained in the
ritual by incorporating modern values and facilities. The present findings demonstrate how traditional and modern cultural beliefs
and attitudes are integrated in the “doing the month” ritual to provide culturally appropriate and sensitive postpartum care and
support for first-time mothers.
Biography
Yueh-Chen Yeh has completed her PhD from Griffith University School of Nursing and Midwifery in Australia. She is an Assistant Professor and teaches at National
Taichung University of Science and Technology, Department of Nursing.
Yueh-Chen Yeh et al., J Nurs Care 2017, 6:4(Suppl)
DOI: 10.4172/2167-1168-C1-049