<![CDATA[The postnatal period requires maternal readiness to independently care for newborns, particularly in umbilical cord care, since the freshly cut cord is an open wound highly susceptible to infection. The open cord care method is widely recommended for accelerating drying and cord separation compared to the closed method. However, maternal knowledge regarding this procedure among postnatal mothers in Indonesia remains relatively low, suggesting that structured postnatal counseling may help improve this condition. This study aimed to describe the characteristics of postnatal mothers and examine differences in the timing of umbilical cord separation based on the care method applied following counseling. A comparative cross-sectional design was employed using total sampling involving 30 postnatal mother respondents. Data were analyzed univariately and bivariately using the Mann-Whitney test, following a Shapiro-Wilk normality test indicating non-normally distributed data. The results showed that most respondents were aged 27–30 years, had completed senior high school, and predominantly applied the open cord care method (73.3%) compared to the closed method (26.7%). The Mann-Whitney test revealed a significant difference in cord separation age between the two groups (p=0.000), with the open-care group experiencing earlier separation than the closed-care group. These findings indicate that maternal sociodemographic characteristics contribute to understanding and practice of umbilical cord care, underscoring the importance of targeted postnatal counseling in supporting effective postpartum maternal self-care to reduce the risk of neonatal infection.]]>
