Traditional Baby Care Practices in Artvin, Turkey

Authors : Esra KANBUR, Betül ŞENTÜRK, Sevil ÇINAR, Yalçin KANBAY

Pages : 112-117

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Publication Date : 2020-12-15

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Objective: This descriptive study was planned to examine mothers’ traditional practices in baby care. Material-Method: The study sample consisted of 172 mothers whose babies were treated in the neonatal unit or pediatric ward of a hospital. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews with mothers using `Sociodemographic characteristics form`, `Traditional practices form` and `Care practices form`. Results: Mean age of the included mothers was 29.4±0.4 years and first pregnancy mean age was 23.9±0.3 years. Mean number of pregnancies was 2.4±0.1. Mean number of children was 2.1±0.1. Common traditional baby care practices include “forty days” or “half-forty days” ritual insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(the mother and the neonate bathing together as a ritual on the 20th day or 40th day after birth, with a view to protect the baby from diseases);, swaddling, “crowding” insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(a sudden surprise visit of a crowd of relatives to baby’s house in case the baby cannot stand upright or raise her head as expected, at a certain stage of development);, using cheesecloth wraps over the baby’s head to protect the newborn from jaundice, giving blessed sugar as the first food, waiting for the Azan insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(call to prayer); before breastfeeding. Education status, working status, income level and residence of the mother were not effective in practicing neonatal traditions. Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, it was recommended to conduct larger scale and repetitive studies on this topic, in order to clarify the underlying reasons for mothers to adopt and implement such traditional baby care practices.
Keywords : Baby Care, Traditional Practices, Mother