產後護理之家的民族誌研究

An Ethnographic Study of a Postpartum Nursing Center

目的
傳統台灣婦女分娩後是在家做月子，由家人照顧其生活起居以俾重獲健康。近年來多數婦女生產後選擇到產後護理之家做月子。「家」以外的產後護理機構，儼然成為當今多數產婦接受產後照顧場所的首選，本研究目的係探討現代婦女如何透過產後護理之家所提供的服務構築每日的活動，和傳統做月子習俗隨著時代演進所呈現的改變。
方法
本民族誌研究法以參與觀察、訪談、相片、地圖及田野筆記收集相關資料。
結果
婦女普遍認同做月子習俗的重要性，並對產後護理之家提供的照護有正面的回饋，經由婦女敘述脈絡中歸納出四個主題，包括：休養生息恢復健康、做月子儀式的變遷、調整與家人的關係及學習成為一位母親。
結論
本研究在產後護理之家脈絡情境中呈現婦女做月子的生活樣貌及傳統做月子習俗在現代醫療體制的變遷。當今產後護理之家以科學及實證醫護專業照護為號召，讓傳統做月子習俗得以延續。本研究建議在西方醫療照護常規體制下之健康照護系統，能尊重傳統做月子習俗，以實證基礎下發展具有文化敏感度的護理措施，以俾提供以家庭為中心之孕產照護理念。

Purposes
Traditionally, Taiwanese women undergo home confinement after delivery, where their family members care for them to help them regain their health. However, in recent years, most postpartum women have chosen to stay in a postpartum nursing center rather than at home for receiving such care. Therefore, the objective of this study was to explore the social phenomena in which modern women adapt their daily lives to the services provided by postpartum nursing centers, and the social changes in the traditional practice of postpartum confinement.
Methods
An ethnographic study was conducted to collect relevant data through participant observation, interviews, photographs, maps, and field notes.
Results
The participants generally agreed on the importance of confinement and positively evaluated the services provided by the postpartum nursing center. Four themes were extracted based on their narratives: recovering health and regaining energy, changes in the traditional practice of confinement, adjusting one’s relationship with the family, and learning to be a mother.
Conclusions
This study explored the daily lives of postpartum women, the month-long care they receive at postpartum nursing centers, and the change of preference from traditional confinement to modern hospital-based care. Postpartum nursing centers take a different approach to confinement based on scientific and evidence-based medical care while upholding new mothers’traditional cultural beliefs and attitudes to the practice. It is suggested that the modern medical care system respect the traditional practice of postpartum confinement and develop culturally sensitive nursing care with evidence-based care practices to provide family-centered maternity care.