In the past, there was great emphasis placed upon the care of postpartum mothers and newborns through local wisdom and traditional medicine, using local herbs and techniques. With the advent of western medicine and the
rise of its popularity in Thailand, these traditional methods have declined in popularity (Damrongwattana, 2007).
Thai traditional knowledge is related to the cultural context that has been sequentially developed and is of huge
assistance to healthcare. There are many areas of Thai wisdom, which include food, knowledge and healthcare.
The area of healthcare is subdivided into many further categories, such as Thai massage, the use of traditional
herbs in food and the use of traditional herbs as medicine. One further aspect of traditional wisdom is the use of
prayer. However, nowadays there have been medical developments in various fields related to natal care,
including pregnancy, labor, postpartum and nursing. There has been particular emphasis on mental and physical
care during the postpartum period, as it is the time when the body makes its most rapid transition and has a direct
influence on the mind and physique.