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Effect of Postpartum Care Education on Postpartum Care Practices among Mothers in Nigeria

Abstract

Postpartum care is an essential component of maternal and newborn health because the period following childbirth is associated with significant physiological changes and the potential occurrence of maternal and newborn complications. In Nigeria, inadequate utilization of postpartum care services may contribute to delayed recognition of postpartum haemorrhage, infections, hypertensive disorders, anaemia, breastfeeding difficulties, and other maternal health problems. Postpartum care education provides an important opportunity to improve mothers' knowledge of recommended postpartum practices, danger signs, breastfeeding, nutrition, hygiene, family planning, medication adherence, newborn care, and timely healthcare-seeking behaviour. However, inadequate postnatal counselling, limited contact with healthcare providers, low maternal awareness, cultural beliefs, financial constraints, geographical barriers, and inconsistent follow-up may reduce adherence to recommended postpartum care practices. Against this background, this study investigates the effect of postpartum care education on postpartum care practices among mothers in Nigeria. The study will be anchored on the Health Belief Model, Theory of Planned Behavior, and Social Ecological Model. The Health Belief Model explains how mothers' perceptions of susceptibility to postpartum complications, perceived severity, perceived benefits of postpartum care, perceived barriers, and cues to action may influence their postpartum health practices. The Theory of Planned Behavior explains how mothers' attitudes, perceived social expectations, perceived behavioural control, and intentions may influence adoption of recommended postpartum practices. The Social Ecological Model emphasizes the influence of individual, family, community, healthcare, cultural, and socioeconomic factors on maternal health behaviours and utilization of postpartum services. Collectively, these theoretical perspectives provide a suitable framework for explaining how postpartum care education may influence postpartum care practices among mothers in Nigeria. The study will adopt a quantitative analytical cohort or quasi-experimental research design. The study population will comprise mothers who have recently delivered and are receiving postpartum or postnatal services in selected healthcare facilities across Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique will be used to select states, local government areas, healthcare facilities, postnatal clinics, and eligible mothers. Postpartum care education will be assessed using indicators such as timing and frequency of education sessions, counselling content, education on postpartum danger signs, breastfeeding, maternal nutrition, personal hygiene, medication use, family planning, newborn care, mental wellbeing, follow-up appointments, and healthcare-seeking behaviour. Postpartum care practices will be assessed using indicators such as attendance at recommended postnatal visits, monitoring of postpartum bleeding and other danger signs, appropriate wound or perineal care where applicable, breastfeeding practices, nutritional practices, medication adherence, family planning uptake, newborn care practices, personal hygiene, and timely utilization of healthcare services when complications occur. Data will be collected using structured questionnaires, postnatal care records, maternal health records, counselling registers, and relevant maternal and newborn programme documents. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize maternal characteristics, exposure to postpartum education, knowledge levels, and postpartum care practices. Inferential statistical techniques, including chi-square tests, t-tests, correlation analysis, and logistic or multiple regression analysis where appropriate, will be used to determine the effect of postpartum care education on postpartum care practices. Where a quasi-experimental design is adopted, postpartum care practices before and after exposure to structured education may be compared, while relevant maternal, socioeconomic, and healthcare-related factors are appropriately controlled. Diagnostic tests will also be conducted to assess the reliability, validity, and robustness of the findings. The study is expected to find that postpartum care education has a significant positive effect on postpartum care practices among mothers in Nigeria. Mothers who receive comprehensive and timely postpartum care education are expected to demonstrate better adherence to recommended postpartum practices than mothers who receive limited or no education. Education may improve mothers' recognition of postpartum danger signs, encourage timely attendance at postnatal appointments, promote appropriate breastfeeding and nutrition practices, strengthen newborn-care knowledge, and encourage early healthcare-seeking when complications arise. However, the translation of knowledge into practice may be influenced by socioeconomic circumstances, family support, cultural beliefs, accessibility of healthcare services, financial constraints, workload, and the availability and quality of postnatal services. The study therefore expects accessible, timely, culturally appropriate, and comprehensive postpartum care education, combined with supportive maternal and newborn health services, to contribute significantly to improved postpartum care practices in Nigeria. The study is expected to contribute to the literature on postpartum care education, postpartum care practices, postnatal care, maternal health, maternal healthcare utilization, breastfeeding, newborn care, postpartum complications, and public health in Nigeria. The findings will provide useful information to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, state ministries of health, healthcare facilities, maternal and child health programmes, obstetricians, midwives, nurses, community health workers, development partners, and policymakers regarding strategies for strengthening postpartum health education. The study will also provide evidence-based recommendations for integrating structured postpartum education into routine postnatal services, improving healthcare-worker counselling skills, strengthening maternal education on postpartum danger signs, promoting breastfeeding and appropriate nutrition, improving postnatal follow-up, addressing barriers to postpartum healthcare utilization, and integrating postpartum education into broader maternal, newborn, and child health programmes across Nigeria.

Keywords: Postpartum care education, postpartum care practices, postnatal care, mothers, maternal health, breastfeeding, postpartum complications, healthcare utilization, newborn care, Nigeria, public health.