**Background:** Self-care, defined by the WHO as the ability of individuals to promote health and cope with illness with or without health worker support, is increasingly recognized as a complement to formal healthcare services. In 2021, WHO published a guideline on self-care interventions for health and well-being, including 13 recommendations for preconception, antenatal, intrapartum, and postpartum care. However, no previous review had systematically mapped the broad and heterogeneous body of research on self-care interventions across all four periods of maternity care. This scoping review aimed to identify all current and emerging self-care interventions evaluated in the context of preconception, antenatal, intrapartum, and postpartum care.
**Methods:** The scoping review followed the methodological guide by Peters and colleagues and was reported per PRISMA-ScR guidelines. The protocol was registered at OSF (doi:10.17605/OSF.IO/97X25). Six databases (MEDLINE, Embase, EmCare, PsycINFO, Cochrane CENTRAL/CDSR, CINAHL Plus) were searched from inception to 17 October 2021. Eligible studies included evidence syntheses, interventional studies (randomized and non-randomized), observational studies, and diagnostic accuracy studies describing any tool, resource, or strategy to facilitate self-care in women preparing to get pregnant, currently pregnant, giving birth, or in the postpartum period (up to 42 days after birth). Two reviewers independently screened and extracted data. Self-care interventions were identified based on predefined criteria and inductively organized into 11 categories. Descriptive statistics were used to report study, participant, and intervention characteristics.
**Key Results:** From 12,215 records (plus 182 from manual screening), 580 unique studies (616 reports) were included, of which 18 (3%) were ongoing. Two-thirds (n=365, 63%) were interventional studies (306 randomized trials, 53%); 165 (28%) were evidence syntheses (109 meta-analyses, 19%); and 32 (6%) were observational studies. Most studies took place in high-income countries (n=260, 45%), followed by middle-income (n=146, 25%) and low-income countries (n=11, 2%); 163 (28%) were reviews with no geographical restriction. The countries with the most studies were the USA (n=86, 15%), Iran (n=46, 8%), UK (n=33, 6%), and Australia (n=30, 5%). Self-care interventions most commonly occurred in the antenatal period (n=439, 76%), followed by postpartum (n=119, 21%), intrapartum (n=62, 11%), and preconception (n=21, 4%). Thirty-eight studies (7%) included women under 18; 170 (29%) included women with high-risk pregnancies (most commonly gestational/diabetes, n=54, 9%; obesity/overweight, n=35, 6%; smokers, n=31, 5%). Among 545 studies (94%) featuring up to three self-care activities, 112 unique self-care interventions were identified and organized into 11 categories. The most common categories were diet and nutrition (n=143, 26%), physical activity (n=132, 24%), psychosocial strategies (n=97, 18%), and lifestyle adjustments (n=90, 17%). Few studies featured sexual health and family planning (n=11, 2%), self-management of medication (n=17, 3%), or self-testing/sampling (n=18, 3%). Self-care was accessible through health facilities (n=238, 44%), digital platforms (n=97, 18%), community venues (n=74, 14%), over-the-counter products (n=69, 13%), and partner/peer support (n=37, 7%). Health workers were involved in promoting or facilitating self-care in 208 studies (38%), especially for sexual health/family planning (67%), psychosocial strategies (45%), and physical activity (44%). Community health workers were involved in 41 studies (8%). The most commonly measured outcomes were neonatal outcomes (e.g., birth weight, Apgar scores) (n=177, 31%), maternal mental well-being and quality of life (n=150, 26%), and labour outcomes (e.g., duration, mode of delivery) (n=125, 22%). Behavioural outcomes were measured in 147 studies (25%), while maternal mortality (n=20, 3%) and perinatal mortality (n=67, 12%) were less common.
**Clinical Implications:** This review demonstrates that self-care interventions in maternity care are diverse and often require close engagement with health facilities, suggesting self-care should be viewed as an extension of formal healthcare services rather than a replacement. The predominance of lifestyle interventions (diet, physical activity) may reflect perceived lower risk of harm, but also highlights gaps in research on self-monitoring, self-testing, and self-management of medications or pregnancy complications—approaches that could improve care in remote and low-resource settings. The lack of studies on self-care in the preconception period and on traditional/Indigenous self-care practices represents important research gaps. For interventions with substantial primary research but outdated or absent systematic reviews (e.g., clean cookstoves, self-care for postpartum depression, self-collection of vaginal samples), updated evidence syntheses are needed. For interventions with limited primary research (e.g., self-testing for proteinuria, self-measurement of vaginal pH), well-designed primary studies comparing self-care approaches with standard care are warranted.