Effect of Nipple Stimulation Program on Mothers’ Breast – Milk Volume of Preterm Infants

Abstract

This quasi-experimental research aimed to study the effect of the Nipple stimulation program on the breast milk volume of the preterm mothers who underwent their delivery at Udonthani Hospital. Thirty-two participants were conveniently recruited into the study and were divided into the control group and the experimental group with equally 16 participants each. The experimental group received the Nipple stimulation program consisting of giving information related to the infants, nipple stimulating, hot compressing, breast massaging, and breast milk expressing on a regular basis for 10 days after delivery. The increasing milk volume from day 1 to day 10 and the time that the mothers had sufficient milk to fulfill the demands of infants were compared between groups using the t-test and the Mann-Whitney U test, respectively.

The findings revealed that the mean volume of breast milk increasing volume from day 1 to day 10 of the experimental group (826.9±74. ml) was greater than those of the control group (542.8±89.6 ml), significantly (p <. 001). The time that the mothers had sufficient milk to meet the demands of the infants in the experimental group (5±0.9 days) was less than that of the control group (8.0±1.0 days), significantly (p <. 001). The findings suggested that nurses should implement the Nipple stimulation program in order to help mothers to establish breast milk rapidly after delivery and continue until the infants have the ability to suck from the breast. The nurses should also encourage the mothers to practice the program both in the hospital and at home.