# Women’s Perceptions on Newborn Care Practices, Knowledge Sources, Benefits, and Challenges in Rural Northern Jordan: A Qualitative Study

## TL;DR

This study explores how rural women in northern Jordan perceive and practice newborn care, highlighting traditional customs and their alignment with modern medical advice.

## Contribution

The study provides qualitative insights into traditional newborn care practices and their cultural significance in rural Jordan.

## Key findings

- Nine themes emerged, including thermal protection, bathing care, umbilical cord care, and feeding rites.
- Knowledge sources include intergenerational transmission and social influence.
- Conflicts between tradition and modern care highlight challenges in neonatal health practices.

## Abstract

Background/Aim: Communities all across the world celebrate the birth of babies through distinct customs and traditional practices. While some of these traditions may bring comfort and cultural continuity, others may not be in line with medical recommendations and could pose major health risks to the newborn. This study examined rural Jordanian women’s perceptions on practices, knowledge sources, benefits, and challenges around caring for newborns in the northern region. Materials and Methods: In this qualitative descriptive study design, twelve women (aged 22 to 60 years) from the Kufr Som village in Northern Jordan, took part in in-depth semi-structured interviews in August 2025. The interviews focused on identifying caregiving practices, knowledge sources, and perceived benefits or challenges related to newborn care. The responses were verbatim transcribed from audio recordings for thematic analysis. Results: Nine themes emerged. “Thermal protection,” “bathing care,” “umbilical cord care,” and “feeding rites” are four themes that encapsulate the common practices women follow when caring for a newborn. The two themes that capture the sources of knowledge and direction for learning newborn care practices are “transmission of knowledge across generations” and “social influence”. The themes “spiritual safeguarding” and “perceived health protection” highlight the benefits of traditional practices, whereas “conflicts between tradition and modern care” underscores their challenges. Conclusions: Newborn care practices are deeply rooted in Northern Jordanian culture. Evidence-based strategies are needed to augment existing practices in order to improve neonatal care outcomes.