NEW MOTHERS’ KNOWLEDGE ABOUT HYGIENE FOR NEW-BORNS

This descriptive, transversal study aimed to evaluate mothers’ knowledge about measures of hygiene applied to new-borns. It was carried out with 150 women who had recently given birth in a maternity ward in the city of Fortaleza in the state of Ceará. The data was collected between January and April 2010 through interviews, and was analyzed with the aid of descriptive statistics. It was ascertained that the new mothers knew most about frequency of bathing and bathwater temperature, the sequence of events involved in bathing a new-born, products for ‘tailing’ the baby (washing its bottom and genitals), putting on the diaper, frequency of cleaning the umbilical stump and the necessity for oral hygiene. The majority were unaware that it is not necessary to thoroughly clean the nipples before breast-feeding and about bath products, the sequence involved in cleaning the bottom and genitals, covering of the umbilical stump, and products for cleaning it. The study emphasizes the importance of nurse-led educational activities in the pre-natal and post-partum periods to help mothers with hygiene care of the new-born