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.
Ages 19-35
Literate and able to communicate
Those who gave birth after 37 weeks of gestation
Those who had a single or intrauterine delivery
Having an infectious skin disease
Having a chronic illness (diabetes mellitus, hypertension, etc.)
Having complications related to the birth process
The baby not being present for any reason
Parallel
Reiki healing / Reiki therapy
Other interventionParticipants in the experimental group will receive Reiki intervention in addition to standard care practices. Reiki sessions will be performed by a trained and certified Reiki practitioner in a quiet and suitable environment. Each session will last approximately 35 minutes and will be applied a total of 3 times: on the 1st, 2nd, and 7th days postpartum. During the intervention, the practitioner will gently touch or place their hands on designated energy points on the participant's body, in accordance with Reiki principles. The aim of the intervention is to support the physical, psychological, and emotional well-being of the participants and to contribute to reducing stress and symptom burden. All applications will be conducted according to a standardized protocol.
routine care
Other interventionParticipants in the control group will receive only standard postpartum care and monitoring during the study period. These participants will be evaluated on days 1, 2, and 7 postpartum at the same time as the experimental group; however, no Reiki intervention will be applied. Participants will continue to receive routine clinical care services, and all data collection will be carried out under the same conditions as the experimental group. This approach will allow for the evaluation of whether the observed outcomes are attributable to Reiki intervention.
Postpartum recovery
Postpartum recovery level will be assessed on postpartum days 1, 2, and 7. Postpartum recovery will be evaluated using the Postpartum Recovery Quality Scale and the REEDA Scale. The Postpartum Recovery Quality Scale is a 11-item, 10-point Likert-type scale measuring physical, psychological, and functional recovery, with higher scores indicating better recovery. The REEDA Scale assesses wound healing through redness, edema, ecchymosis, discharge, and approximation of wound edges, with scores ranging from 0 to 15; higher scores indicate poorer healing. The combined use of these instruments will serve as the primary indicator of postpartum recovery outcomes.
Comfort
Maternal comfort will be assessed as a secondary outcome using the Postpartum Comfort Scale (DSKÖ). The scale was developed by Karakaplan and Yıldız (2010) and is based on Kolcaba's Comfort Theory. It is a 34-item, 5-point Likert-type scale evaluating physical, psychospiritual, and sociocultural comfort dimensions. Total scores range from 34 to 170, with higher scores indicating higher comfort levels. Item scores are averaged to obtain a mean score between 1 and 5. The scale includes both positively and negatively worded items, with reverse scoring applied to negative items.
Mood
Maternal mood will be assessed using the Brief Mood Introspection Scale (BMIS). The scale was originally developed by Mayer and Gaschke (1988) and its Turkish validity and reliability study was conducted by Kavcıoğlu (2011). It is a 16-item, 4-point Likert-type scale measuring positive and negative mood states. The positive mood subscale includes items such as happy, calm, energetic, and affectionate, while the negative mood subscale includes items such as sad, tired, tense, and irritable. Each subscale is scored separately, with total scores ranging from 8 to 32; higher scores indicate higher levels of the respective mood state.
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