The Effect of Oketani Breast Massage on Successful Breastfeeding, Mothers’ Breastfeeding Support Need, and Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy: A Clinical Trial Study

Abstract

Background: The most important factor in the survival and health of infants is breastfeeding. One of the complications of cesarean sections is their negative effect on the quality of breastfeeding. This study aimed to determine the effect of Oketani breast massage on the maternal need for support during breastfeeding, breastfeeding success, and breastfeeding selfefficacy. Methods: The research sample in this clinical trial study included pregnant women who referred to Mahdiyeh, Taleghani, and Imam Hossein hospitals as candidates for a cesarean section. The mothers were selected using convenience sampling and randomly assigned to the intervention group (n = 55) and the control group (n = 58). The data were collected using, the Infant Breastfeeding Assessment Tool (IBFAT), the Breastfeeding Charting System (LATCH), and the Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale (BSES). To assess the breastfeeding success rate, the number of breastfeeding times, and the onset time of the first breastfeeding were recorded. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS software (version 20) via the independent samples t-test, the Mann–Whitney U test, and chi-square test. Results: The results of the study suggested that the breastfeeding success rate in both the first two breastfeeding stages and the last pre-discharge breastfeeding was significantly higher for the participants in the intervention group than the members of the control group (p <0.001). Besides, the mother's need for support in the first two breastfeeding stages (p = 0.044) and the last pre-discharge breastfeeding (p <0.001) in the intervention group was less than that of the mothers in the control group. The number of breastfeeding in the intervention group was higher than the control group (p = 0.002). Furthermore, the mothers in the intervention group breastfed their infants in a significantly less time interval (p = 0.002). The breastfeeding self-efficacy was significantly higher in the intervention group than in the control group (p <0.001). Conclusion: Oketani massage can be used as a care intervention by nurses to improve breastfeeding in mothers who undergo cesarean sections and have more breastfeeding problems. Trial registration Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT): IRCT20190129042542N1.

The effect of breast massage training on self-efficacy and perceived stress of prim parous women: A clinical trial study

“…The results of the present study showed that mothers who received breast massage training from midwives had higher self-efficacy than those who received routine care, which increased breastfeeding. This finding is consistent with the studies of Shahri et al ,[ 26 ] Yang et al ,[ 27 ] All of these studies showed positive effects of massage on breastfeeding mothers’ self-efficacy, a point that requires more attention.…”