“Do traditional customs brought support or obstacles during the first postpartum year?” : A qualitative investigation on perceived barriers of primiparas in the context of Chinese culture.

Background Primiparas experience a series of physiological and emotional changes during the postpartum period. However, most studies have focused only on universal depressive symptoms and have neglected to interpret the possible mental health risk factors that primiparas may face in the context of specific cultures. This study sought to explore the experiences of Chinese primiparas, with the key point of understanding their barriers and correlated distress under the influence of cultural factors in the first postpartum year. Methods A descriptive phenomenological study design was used in this study. Unstructured interviews were conducted with 25 primiparas within one year of delivery during July and September 2022. Each conversation lasted between 32–56 min. Colaizzi’s seven-step phenomenological approach was utilized for data analysis. Results Six themes were identified, including (a) body weakness, pain and sleep deprivation are extremely common during the first confinement postpartum period; (b) struggling with much effort, sacrifice and obstacles to breastfeeding; (c) helplessness in childcare with insufficient or unreliable social support; (d) confusing difficult access to scientific maternal and child health knowledge; (e) frustrating increasing family conflicts centering on mother and mother-in-law relations; and (f) sticking to work or not bringing much entanglement to primiparas. Conclusion The results of this descriptive phenomenological study suggest that Chinese primiparas experienced a series of difficulties and distresses in the first postpartum year. Understanding the perceptions of specific problems with the combination of Chinese traditions, particularly in the first-month confinement in this context, is important for extending more practical and efficient interventions.