Counseling mothers in the hospital postpartum period: A comparison of techniques

The effect of daily, individual, baby-care guidance counseling of mothers, in the hospital postpartum period, by a pediatrician and by a pediatric-trained nurse was compared to the standard day-of-discharge counseling employed by the pediatric staff at a university hospital among 90 mothers distributed into three groups. Two sequential, modified Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scores and signs of postpartum depression were utilized as instruments. Within-group analysis was made for the effect of gravidity, of feeding technique, and of La Maze training. No difference was found between the daily-nurse and the daily-physician counseled groups, both having a mean fall in anxiety score significantly different from the mean rise found in the discharge counseled group. Both daily counseled groups had significantly fewer signs of postpartum depression than the discharge counseled group. La Maze trained mothers had lower initial anxiety scores, a small mean change (decrease) in anxiety scores, and fewer signs of postpartum depression. Peters and Hockelman concluded that the most important component of competent child care is probably emotional and affective rather than cognitive and intellectual. Attending to the emotional needs of mothers is, therefore, a primary responsibility of all those interested in the welfare of mothers and children. The present study indicates that counseling during the postpartum period can have a positive effect on maternal behavior if carried out in an individual and incremental fashion.