["Doing the month" experiences of Vietnamese primipara in Taiwan]

The number of transnational marriage families in Taiwan has been increasing in recent years, with Vietnam the country of origin for the largest number of women married to Taiwanese men. The typical Vietnamese wife married her Taiwanese husband at a very young age and had little prior familiarity with the Taiwan custom of "doing the month"--the period of enforced rest and recovery for postpartum mothers during the month after childbirth. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences and feelings of Vietnamese primipara on "doing the month". Participants, recruited from two teaching hospitals in Kaohsiung City, were interviewed about their experiences and feelings about "doing the month" during home visits. Participant descriptions were then sorted and analyzed. Three key aspects related to "doing the month" identified by the research include (1) dieting, (2) bathing, and (3) homebound rest. By helping healthcare professionals better understand the "doing the month" experiences of Vietnamese primipara, study results can help facilitate the design and implementation of healthcare for this group to ensure access to comprehensive healthcare that considers their physical, psychological, and social-cultural needs.