Alshakhs Fatimah H, Katooa Nouran E, Badr Hanan A, Thabet Hala A
Faculty of Nursing, Maternity and Child Health Department, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, SAU.
Faculty of Nursing, Women's Health and Midwifery Nursing Department, Mansoura University, Mansoura, EGY.
Cureus. 2024 Jan 28;16(1):e53134. doi: 10.7759/cureus.53134. eCollection 2024 Jan.
Breast engorgement is a common issue that affects breastfeeding initiation and continuation. Engorgement can cause exhaustion, making it difficult to care for and feed the infant, and it can cause a mother to wean her baby before she intends to initiate breastfeeding. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of the alternating application of cold and hot compresses in reducing breast engorgement among lactating mothers. Design, sample size and setting: A quasi-experimental study design is used to conduct this study. A purposeful sample of 100 lactating mothers was screened in the postnatal ward for the presence of breast engorgement. The 100 mothers with engorgement were divided into two equal groups of 50 mothers each - the first group (the intervention) and the second group (the control) - at the postnatal ward of King Abdulaziz Hospital-National Guard in Alahsa City. Sampling and tools: The data collection was conducted over five months, from January 2023 until May 2023. Data collection was done through a structured interview questionnaire sheet. The questionnaire was divided into six parts: socio-demographic data, obstetric and initial women assessment, the six-point engorgement scale (SPES), the visual analog scale (VAS), the LATCH breastfeeding charting scale, and the Infant Breastfeeding Assessment Tool (IBFAT).
The present study found no statistically significant difference between the study intervention and control groups in breast engorgement, LATCH level, or overall level of breastfeeding assessment before the intervention. While, in terms of breast engorgement, pain level, attachment, and LATCH, the overall levels of infant breastfeeding assessment across study time had a statistically significant variance among the study and control groups after the intervention at p values=<0.001.
The alternating application of cold and hot compresses can have a significant role in reducing breast engorgement among lactating mothers. Women should be encouraged to use hot compresses and cold gel packs as an alternative treatment to reduce engorgement and promote comfort. In addition, the study results can be utilized to aid Saudi Arabian nurses and midwives in understanding the advantages of applying a cold gel pack and a hot compress and to decrease levels of engorgement, improve latch, and relieve discomfort.
乳房胀痛是一个影响母乳喂养开始和持续的常见问题。乳房胀痛会导致疲惫，使得照顾婴儿和喂奶变得困难，还可能导致母亲在打算开始母乳喂养之前就给婴儿断奶。本研究旨在确定冷敷和热敷交替应用在减轻哺乳期母亲乳房胀痛方面的效果。
设计、样本量和研究地点：本研究采用准实验研究设计。在产后病房对100名有乳房胀痛的哺乳期母亲进行了有目的抽样筛选。这100名有乳房胀痛的母亲在阿哈萨市阿卜杜勒阿齐兹国王国民警卫队医院的产后病房被分为两组，每组50名母亲——第一组（干预组）和第二组（对照组）。
数据收集在2023年1月至2023年5月的五个月期间进行。数据收集通过一份结构化访谈问卷表完成。问卷分为六个部分：社会人口统计学数据、产科和产妇初始评估、六点乳房胀痛量表（SPES）、视觉模拟量表（VAS）、LATCH母乳喂养记录量表以及婴儿母乳喂养评估工具（IBFAT）。
本研究发现，在干预前，研究干预组和对照组在乳房胀痛、LATCH水平或母乳喂养评估总体水平上没有统计学上的显著差异。然而，在乳房胀痛、疼痛程度、衔接情况和LATCH方面，干预后研究组和对照组在整个研究期间婴儿母乳喂养评估的总体水平存在统计学上的显著差异，p值≤0.001。
冷敷和热敷交替应用在减轻哺乳期母亲乳房胀痛方面可发挥重要作用。应鼓励女性使用热敷和冷敷凝胶袋作为减轻乳房胀痛和促进舒适的替代治疗方法。此外，研究结果可用于帮助沙特阿拉伯的护士和助产士了解应用冷敷凝胶袋和热敷的益处，并降低乳房胀痛程度、改善衔接情况和缓解不适。
