Mothers' use of knowledge during the first postpartum weeks.

Throughout their hospital stay, mothers are inundated with information relating to physical and psychosocial aspects of self care, as well as infant physical care, feeding, and behavior. However, the mother's perception of the usefulness of this information varies. This study explores 1) What information regarding self care and infant care do mothers find useful during the first week home? and 2) What additional information would be helpful? The use of knowledge was determined by the 78 mothers' responses to a self-administered questionnaire. Results indicated that mothers were using much of the information presented during their hospital stay. Some of the mothers designated areas for additional teaching.