**Background:** Morocco has reduced maternal mortality by 61.8% between 1990 and 2015, but wide urban–rural disparities persist. Most maternal and newborn deaths are linked to sociocultural variables, including deeply rooted traditions passed down through generations. Despite progress, little research exists on Moroccan customs surrounding the postpartum period. This study aimed to understand traditional practices of women regarding maternal health during pregnancy and after delivery, using a lifeworld theoretical framework to explore how women's behaviors, attitudes, and perceptions are shaped by community and gender norms.
**Methods:** This qualitative study was conducted between March and September 2021 in hospitals across three Moroccan provinces: Essaouira, Settat, and Salé. Participants were 37 postpartum married women (13 from Essaouira, 13 from Settat, 11 from Salé), aged 17–37, each with at least one child and at least one childbirth experience. Two were employed, ten were illiterate, and four had experienced miscarriage. All lived with their husbands, most with the husband's family. Data were collected through in-depth interviews (40–90 minutes each) conducted in Arabic dialect, supplemented by written documents and observations. Thematic guides covered maternal diet, rest, activity, newborn diet, beliefs and practices related to mother–newborn health, and perceived benefits and drawbacks. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, translated from Arabic to French to English by two researchers, and analyzed using MAXQDA 2020 software. Thematic analysis involved iterative reading, coding, and framework development to identify emergent patterns.
**Key Results:** Three major themes emerged: (1) Cultural practices related to pregnancy, (2) Cultural practices related to safe motherhood, and (3) Cultural practices related to newborn health. Regarding pregnancy, women believed that a safe first pregnancy meant later pregnancies needed no follow-up, and that sex change between successive pregnancies negatively affected maternal health (e.g., Khadija reported abdominal pain due to conceiving a boy after a girl). Protecting pregnant women from nasty smells and intense emotions was considered essential. Fumigations with peganum ('lharma') were used to strengthen contractions and facilitate delivery. For safe motherhood, six subthemes were identified: witchcraft ('chaawada')—women hid newborns from visitors to protect against sorcery; bad eyesight—Quran recitation and fumigations with alum and peganum ('chebba' and 'harmal') were used daily for seven days postpartum before sunset; the 40-day confinement ('trabaina')—women were not to leave home before 40 days, described as a period when the new mother has 'one foot in the ground and the other in the grave'; postpartum hemorrhage ('lfayda')—recognized as a danger requiring hospital care; 'bard nfass' cold—exposure to cold during postpartum was believed to cause irreversible insanity or death, treated with medicinal plants; and nutrition of 'nafssa'—'rfissa' was the principal meal, with soups, spices, eggs, milk, and peppergrass seeds used to warm the body and stimulate breastmilk production, though only for women with vaginal delivery without episiotomy. 'Labrik' (herbal broth with Alpinia galanga and Madder) was used to eliminate blood debris from the uterus. For newborn health, practices included: using old clothes (new clothes considered bad luck); treating 'sorra' (head deformation with increased cranial perimeter) by religious healers ('fqih') or healer women ('rebagha') using inflamed sticks of white marrube and mariout or henna; administering 'laghrour' (argan oil, butter, olive oil, seven medicinal plants, and hull throat) to clear lung secretions; umbilical care with oil, henna powder, or kohl; and ritual henna submersion on the seventh day to eliminate skin desquamation and prevent neonatal icterus. Participants indicated honey was considered equivalent to all necessary vaccination doses.
**Clinical Implications:** Many traditional practices are beneficial (e.g., family support, protein-rich nutrition), but several pose risks. Applying henna to newborns can distort early detection of neonatal jaundice, a major global cause of neonatal illness, death, and neurodevelopmental problems. Using oil and kohl on the umbilical cord may delay healing or introduce infection. The belief that a safe first pregnancy eliminates the need for follow-up care may reduce antenatal service utilization. The 40-day confinement may delay postpartum care and newborn vaccination. The study highlights that mothers and mothers-in-law are the most influential in recommending traditional practices. To reduce harmful practices, the authors recommend integrating cultural knowledge into training for midwives, nurses, and other professionals to enable culturally appropriate care and effective health education. The study's limitations include its descriptive design, convenience sampling (limiting generalizability), and lack of investigation into how women learned about these practices.