Vol. 8, Issue 1, Part A (2025)

Introduction: Postpartum care focuses on monitoring and supporting a mother's physical and emotional recovery after childbirth. It includes regular health visits, mental health screening, breastfeeding support, proper nutrition, rest, gradual exercise and family planning. These measures help reduce maternal complications and ensure better health outcomes for both mothers and newborns.

Objective: This study evaluates the impact on mothers’ knowledge, attitude and practices related to postpartum visits, personal hygiene and nutrition.

Materials & Method: An interventional study was conducted with 312 postpartum mothers in Belagavi from April 2023 to March 2024. Mann-Whitney U test was applied to compare non-normally distributed variables between groups.

Results: The intervention group exhibited significant improvements in postpartum care knowledge, attitudes, and practices compared to the control group. A greater proportion of the intervention group recognized the importance of four postpartum visits (35.9% vs. 1.9%) and were aware of postpartum danger signs (72.5% vs. 30.7%). They had enhanced understanding of personal hygiene, nutrition and exercise and were more likely to seek care from local doctors (64.8% vs. 30.7%). Additionally, the intervention group demonstrated more favorable attitudes toward postpartum visits (69.9% vs. 2.6%) and understood the significance of recognizing danger signs for preventing mortality (59.6% vs. 1.9%). In terms of practices, the intervention group had higher attendance rates for postpartum visits (98.7% vs. 49.4%), practiced better hygiene (91% vs. 35.9%), consumed more fluids (82.1% vs. 29.5%), and reported improved rest habits (92.9% vs. 16.7%). Knowledge, attitude and practice scores were significantly higher in the intervention group, highlighting the success of health education in improving postpartum care.