Most cultures of the world consider postpartum a period of transition and vulnerability. Recent research substantiates this belief. In a meta-analysis of maternal mortality studies, investigators found that more than one-half of all maternal deaths occur during the postpartum and that in developing countries these deaths mainly are due to hemorrhage, infection, and complications of pregnancy induced hypertension(Li, Fortney, Kotelchuck, & Glover, 1996). Other researchers have demonstrated that for each maternal death, many more women suffer episodes of serious morbidity during the postpartum period