THE EFFECT OF REIKI APPLIED DURING THE POSTPARTUM PERIOD ON THE QUALITY OF POSTPARTUM RECOVERY, COMFORT AND MOOD.

Overview

The postpartum period, also defined as the fourth trimester of pregnancy, encompasses the approximately 6-8 week period following childbirth, during which the organs that underwent changes during pregnancy return to their previous state. This period is of great importance in terms of protecting the health of both mother and baby, meeting their care needs, and increasing their comfort. During the postpartum period, women experience physiological, psychological, and social changes; hormonal changes, assuming parental roles, changes in family dynamics, and increased responsibilities related to infant care can lead to adjustment difficulties. This can cause problems for the mother in both her own care and infant care. In the postpartum period, mothers may experience various health problems such as pain, fatigue, sleep disturbances, infections, breastfeeding problems, hemorrhoids, constipation, urinary incontinence, depressive symptoms, and mood swings. Pain, in particular, arises due to uterine contractions, breast engorgement, nipple tenderness, and other complications, negatively affecting the mother's mobility, sleep patterns, social interaction, and quality of life. Furthermore, stress and adjustment problems experienced during the postpartum period can lead to serious psychological problems such as delayed maternal bonding, postpartum blues, postpartum depression, psychosis, and communication problems between couples. Pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods are used in the management of these problems. However, due to the negative effects that pharmacological methods may have during breastfeeding, interest in complementary and alternative medicine practices has increased. Reflexology, aromatherapy, music therapy, acupressure, and Reiki are among these methods. Reiki is an energy therapy method that aims to balance an individual's life energy and support the natural healing process, applied through touch or the placement of hands on specific points. Reiki application is reported to have positive effects on pain, stress, anxiety, sleep quality, and coping skills. Although it is one of the preferred methods for adapting to changes and reducing problems experienced in the postpartum period, studies directly examining the effects of Reiki application on postpartum recovery quality, comfort, and mood are quite limited. Due to its low cost, ease of application, and lack of side effects, Reiki is considered an important complementary care approach that can be used in the postpartum period. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of face-to-face Reiki treatment on the quality of postpartum healing, comfort level, and mood in women who have had cesarean deliveries, on days 1, 2, and 7 of the postpartum period.

Problem Definition and Significance The postpartum period begins with the completion of childbirth and includes the 6-8 weeks during which the organs that changed during pregnancy return to normal. It is also considered the fourth trimester of pregnancy. This period is an important one for the mother, as it focuses on maintaining the health and comfort of the baby. During this period, women experience physiological, psychological, and social changes (Tsai and Wang, 2019; Kılıçlı and Zeyneloglu, 2024). The changes experienced during pregnancy in mothers regress, the reproductive organs enter the involution process, and the lactation process matures. In addition, the postpartum period is a time when the mother's responsibilities increase due to hormonal changes, the acquisition of parenting roles, changes in family dynamics, and issues such as infant care, safety, and nutrition. These changes affect coping skills and can cause the mother to experience problems with her own care and infant care. Also, during this period, the mother; Mothers may experience serious problems such as pain, mobilization, breastfeeding difficulties, fatigue, exhaustion, infection, urinary incontinence, hemorrhoids, constipation, sleep disorders, depressive symptoms, and emotional changes (Rezaei et al., 2016; Martínez-Galiano et al., 2019). When these problems are not managed, the physiological and psychological problems experienced by the mother can negatively affect the health of family members and delay healing (Sines et al., 2007). Another problem that delays healing is pain. However, pain varies depending on uterine contractions, hemorrhoids, breast engorgement, nipple tension, and other complications. Pain experienced during this period can lead to fatigue, mobilization problems, sleep problems, impaired social interaction, and emotional problems (Öztürk et al., 2020). This situation causes fatigue in the mother and reduces her quality of life and comfort (Karaca and Vural, 2022; Uzunkaya Öztoprak et al., 2023). Managing the pain will increase the mother's comfort and positively affect her psychological state. However, although the postpartum period is a time of positive emotions for the mother, it can also trigger a crisis period due to hormonal changes. When the mother cannot adapt to these crisis situations, the stress of the mother and other family members increases. Increased stress levels can lead to serious emotional problems such as delayed maternal bonding, postpartum sadness, postpartum depression, psychosis, and communication breakdowns between couples (Rezaei et al., 2016; Martínez-Galiano et al., 2019). When the literature is examined, pharmacological or non-pharmacological methods can be used to solve these problems. However, the undesirable effects of pharmacological methods during breastfeeding have made non-pharmacological methods an alternative in managing these symptoms. These methods, called complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practices, are frequently encountered in nursing care literature recently due to their low cost, simplicity, and non-harmful nature. Examples of these practices include reflexology, aromatherapy, music therapy, and acupressure. Reiki, a type of energy therapy, is also among these practices. Reiki is an energy therapy method that aims to balance the life energy in the body and support the healing process, applied through touch or by placing hands on specific points on the body. It aims to contribute to the physiological, social, and psychological well-being of the individual and focuses on the energy chakras. Reiki application, as an energy-based and touch-based relaxation method, aims to support the body's natural healing process and is considered a natural healing energy. Studies have shown that Reiki positively affects pain, stress, anxiety, vital signs, sleep, and coping skills. It is one of the preferred methods in Turkey and worldwide for adapting to changes occurring in the postpartum period, managing crisis situations, and reducing problems that arise during this period. Studies in the literature addressing the effects of Reiki in the postpartum period are quite limited. In particular, there is no study that directly examines the impact of face-to-face Reiki application on the quality of postpartum recovery, comfort, and mood during the postpartum period. The fact that Reiki can be applied without any pharmacological treatment, without side effects, and is both low-cost and easily accessible makes this method extremely valuable, especially during the sensitive postpartum period. Furthermore, the fact that Reiki can be applied in both clinical and home settings increases its potential to respond to the sustainable care needs of the postpartum period. Purpose of the Study This research aims to investigate the impact of face-to-face Reiki application on the quality of postpartum recovery, comfort, and mood in women who have had cesarean deliveries during the postpartum period (days 1, 2, and 7).and is designed to determine its effect on mood.