| Description |
The onset of lactation is frequently associated with breast engorgement and is a source of discomfort for many parturients. It is believed that self-demand breast feeding has a favorable effect on establishing and maintaining lactation as well as reducing the incidence of overdistension of the breasts in the mother. The purpose of the present study was (a) to determine whether mothers who initiate breast feeding within the first two hours after delivery and continue to nurse on demand for subsequent feedings experience less breast engorgement than do mothers who postpone initial breast feeding longer than 12 hours, and (b) to further test a tool to objectively measure breast tension, Mothers who planned to breast feed their infants were alternately placed into either an experimental or control group at the time they delivered. The experimental group initially breast fed their infants within the first two hours postpartum and on self-demand thereafter. Mothers in the control group did not start breast feeding their infants for 12 hours or longer postpartum. The Pressure Gauge P 102 was tested on 15 parturients prior to the initiation of data collection. Results indicated the instrument was not valid or reliable. Therefore the instrument was not used. Chest circumference measurements were taken at delivery (baseline) and at 12-hour intervals to 60 hours postpartum on both groups. Biographical data were examined for both mother and infant. Some of the factors examined were the minutes the infant suckled at the breast, supplemental feeds, and the infant's birth weight. The experimental group had chest circumference measurements which were larger at delivery, 12 hours, 36 hours, and 60 hours, while the control group had larger measurements at 2i| and I4.8 hours. The differences were not statistically significant. Three mothers, two in the experimental group and one in the control group, clinically exhibited moderate breast engorgement at 60 hours postpartum as determined by an independent rater. It is difficult to draw any conclusions due to the limitations of the study, i,e., lack of a valid instrument to objectively measure breast engorgement, a small sample, and a short hospitalization period for some of the mothers. The occurrence of breast engorgement with the onset of lactation requires further research. Further study needs to be done in relation to early and late initial breast feeding experiences using an objective measuring tool and a larger sample. |
