Effect of Breast Massage on Solving Problems with Blocked Mammary Ducts in Nursing Mothers

Abstract

Blocked mammary ducts in nursing mothers result in decreased breast milk and increased pain. If the problem is not solved, it will lead to mastitis. This quasi-experimental research aimed to investigate the effectiveness of a breast massage regimen, hereafter referred to as Six-Step Basic Breast Massage (SBM). Participants were 64 nursing mothers who were attending the lactation clinic in a tertiary hospital in northeast Thailand and met the set inclusion and exclusion criteria. Half (32) of the participants were assigned to the experimental and the other half to the comparison group without randomization. The mothers in the experimental group were treated using SBM, while the mothers in the comparison group were treated with traditional manual expression. Data were collected using the Effectiveness of SBM Record Form which was validated by five experts. The scale’s content validity index was .91. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Chi squares, and Mann Whitney U Tests. The research findings revealed that, after the experiment, there was a difference in the severity of the duct blockage in the two groups (c² = 32.0, p < .001). Mothers treated with SBM had statistically significantly more milk flow (U = 115.0, p < .001), less pain (U = 18.50, p = < .001), and were more satisfied than mothers treated using manual expression. Therefore, it can be concluded that SBM is effectively able to solve issues with blocked ducts and that nurses should continue to use it to treat lactating mothers having issues with blocked mammary ducts, taught to the mothers’ caregivers, and integrated into the programs and guidelines for care of postpartum mothers with blocked ducts.