The Effects of Aromatherapy on Postpartum Women: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: The postpartum period is the most crucial but also the most fragile stage of most pregnancies. The health benefits of aromatherapy have recently become more widely accepted among medical experts. Although a number of studies have examined these health benefits, no systematic reviews have been conducted to assess the effects of aromatherapy on the psycho-physiological health of postpartum women. PURPOSE: This systematic review was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of aromatherapy interventions on the psycho-physiological health of postpartum women, to determine the methods that were used to measure intervention effectiveness, and to identify the types of interventions that were used. METHODS: We searched for studies that evaluated the effects of aromatherapy on postpartum women published in the Chinese or English languages before March 2018. We used online databases such as the Taiwan Journal Index, Centre for European Policy Studies, Cumulative Index for Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Cochrane Library, PubMed, and Social Sciences Citation Index. The search keywords used were "women," AND "postpartum," OR "postnatal" AND "aromatherapy," OR "aroma," OR "essential oils." Only randomized controlled trials including humans as study participants were included. The methodological quality of the trials was assessed using the modified Jadad scale. The quality of the full-text studies was assessed by three reviewers. RESULTS: The 15 studies that were included in this systematic review were performed in Iran, England, and the United States and included 2,131 participants in total. The numbers of participants in each study ranged between 35 and 635. The review found that the effective duration of aromatherapy varied according to the essential oils that were selected. The visual analog scale was the most frequently used measure of postpartum pain. Most of the studies found that the aromatherapy intervention improved postpartum physiological and psychological health, with positive effects shown on anxiety, depression, distress, fatigue, mood, nipple fissure pain, physical pain, post-cesarean-delivery pain, post-cesarean-delivery nausea, postepisiotomy pain, postepisiotomy recovery, sleep quality, and stress. Most of the studies reported no serious intervention-related side effects. CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review may serve as a reference for healthcare workers in caring for postpartum women. Aromatherapy may be applied as a noninvasive complementary intervention to promote physio-psychological comfort in postpartum women.

Role changes in primiparous women during 'doing the month' period.

INTRODUCTION: Zuò yuèzi, or 'doing the month', is a postpartum tradition among ethnically Chinese women, and the purpose is to restore the organ and endocrine function of the mother's body to normal. The period for 'doing the month' is generally between 30 and 40 days postpartum, and some problems in the establishment of the mother-child relationship and adaptation to motherhood may occur during this period. Yet, this is an easily often-ignored period for caring. This "doing the month" period refers to the Chinese postnatal confinement of the nursing mother for one month immediately following the birth of the child, known as zuò yuè zi and has many strict traditional guidelines. There are even specialty private women's "hospitals" set up for the one-month stay catering to the nursing mother, though new mothers may also experience the postpartum period at home with home or family relative care. AIM OF STUDY: To explore the transition to motherhood and the role of the feelings and experiences of primipara 'doing the month' period. DESIGN: A qualitative research methodology was utilized to conduct the research. In-depth interviews were conducted. SETTING: The study was conducted in a zuò yuè zi area in Taiwan, from March 2016 to March 2017. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty healthy primiparas were recruited using a purposive sampling method, a snowball sampling method, and were interviewed during 'doing the month' period. FINDINGS: The change from being a childless adult to being a mother experienced by the participants during 'doing the month' period was divided into two themes: 'Motherhood burden' and 'Motherhood adaptation'. 'Motherhood burden' contained the following subthemes: 'motherhood stereotypes', 'fatigue', and 'frustration'. By contrast, motherhood adaptation contained the following subthemes: 'compromising in the face of reality' and 'being practical and realistic'. KEY CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Two of the challenges of role transition around women's experiences of initiating breastfeeding for the first time during 'doing the month' period are psychological burden and acceptance of maternal responsibilities. Therefore, the needs of primiparous women transitioning to motherhood during 'doing the month' period must be considered to ensure that such women are sufficiently prepared and competent as mothers and to promote the establishment of mother-child relationships.

[The Efficacy of Rooming-In in the Context the Physical and Mental Health of New Mothers].

The Breastfeeding-Friendly Policy promotes successful breastfeeding by encouraging postpartum rooming-in and other practices that have been shown to increase breastfeeding success. Puerperium is a key transition period in a woman's life during which she faces physical changes as well as changes in roles and tasks as she transitions into motherhood. During this transition period, postpartum women typically follow the rooming-in and breastfeeding practices that are recommended by the hospital. However, without suitable assistance, the physical and mental problems that often accompany childbirth may impact the postpartum health of the mother. This article reflects on the potential health problems that are encountered by postpartum women who adopt 24-hour rooming-in practices from the perspective of their health rights and proposes suggestions for improving these practices as a reference for related government and healthcare workers.