BEYOND RECOVERY: MATERNAL HYGIENE AND MENTAL HEALTH DURING THE POSTPARTUM PERIOD

The postpartum period is often described as a time of recovery, but recovery is much more than the  healing of the body after childbirth. It is a period in which a woman or other person who has given  birth is simultaneously healing from pregnancy and birth, adapting to new responsibilities , learning  infant care, coping with disrupted sleep, and adjusting emotionally and socially. Maternal hygiene is  an important part of this process because clean hands, appropriate perineal and wound care, safe    care,  clean  clothing  and  surroundings,  and  timely  recognition  of  infection  can  reduce  preventable complications.