Effects of Foot Reflexology on Onset of Lactation and Milk Volume in Postpartum Mothers with Newborns Hospitalized in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Keywords:
Foot Reflexology, Onset of Lactation, Milk Volume, Postpartum Mother, Neonatal Intensive Care UnitAbstract
A randomized controlled trial (RCT) using the single-blind technique was conducted to compare the onset of lactation and milk volume in postpartum mothers with newborns hospitalized in a neonatal intensive care unit. The fifty postpartum mothers who were admitted in the obstetric ward, Hat Yai Hospital, Songkhla Province, and met the inclusion criteria during March to May 2021 were recruited. The participants were randomly assigned using the minimized randomization program into two groups. Each group consisted of 25 postpartum mothers with newborns hospitalized in a neonatal intensive care unit. The experimental group (n = 25) received foot reflexology combined with routine nursing care. The control group (n = 25) received only routine nursing care.
The research instruments comprised three parts, including1) the intervention instrument, which was the researcher giving foot reflexology to the mothers,2) the monitoring manual expression skills, and (3) the data-collecting forms:3.1) the personal information questionnaire,3.2) the record form of delivery information,3.3) the record form of onset of lactation (hours), and 3.4) the record form of milk volume (milliliters). All instruments: the monitoring manual expression skills, the record forms of onset of lactation, and milk volume, were validated by three experts, yielding a content validity index (CVI) equal to 1.00. A pilot studied of 10 samples was conducted to test the reliability of the instruments: the monitoring manual expression skills, yielding a value of .83 and the record form of milk volume, yielding a value of .90.
The results showed that the experimental group (M = 46.80, S.D. = 15.40) had the onset of lactation significantly faster than the control group (M = 85.27, S.D. = 20.12) (t = -7.59, p < .001). In addition, the experimental group (M = 8.10,S.D. = 6.30) had milk volume in day 1 (24 hours postpartum) significantly more than the control group (M = 3.09, S.D. = 4.80) (t = 3.17, p < .01) and the experimental group (M = 15.92, S.D. = 8.82) had milk volume in day 2 (24-48 hours postpartum) significantly more than the control group (M = 4.03, S.D. = 5.27) (t = 5.79, p < .001).
Conclusion: The findings confirmed that foot reflexology could effectively be applied to early postpartum mothers with sick babies to promote the onset of lactation and milk volume. Therefore, healthcare personnel are recommended to apply foot reflexology as an alternative method to promote breastfeeding, especially in the group of postpartum mothers with newborns hospitalized in neonatal intensive care units.
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