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

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.

Inclusion Criteria: * 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 * Those who meet the inclusion criteria and volunteer to participate * Those residing within the central district of Gaziantep province * Those who received spinal/epidural anesthesia Exclusion Criteria: * 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 * Using sedative agents for any reason * Mothers with disabled babies * Having experienced an acute psychiatric attack