Lactation prescription plus acupoint stimulation improves breastfeeding quality and alleviates breast tenderness in parturients undergoing cesarean section

Jinlai Zhan; Nan Huang; Ning Meng; Yafen Qiu; Yin Zhu; Yiran Xu; Xiangjun Chen

Lactation prescription plus acupoint stimulation improves breastfeeding quality and alleviates breast tenderness in parturients undergoing cesarean section

Am J Transl Res. 2023 Jan 15;15(1):539-547. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Jinlai Zhan¹, Nan Huang¹, Ning Meng², Yafen Qiu¹, Yin Zhu³, Yiran Xu³, Xiangjun Chen¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Obstetrics, Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University Hangzhou 310000, Zhejiang, P. R. China.
² Department of Nail and Breast Vascular Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University Hangzhou 310000, Zhejiang, P. R. China.
³ Hangzhou Normal University Hangzhou 310000, Zhejiang, P. R. China.

PMID: 36777860
PMCID: PMC9908465

Abstract

Purpose: This retrospective study primarily discusses the influence of lactation prescription plus acupoint stimulation on breastfeeding quality and breast tenderness of parturients after cesarean section (CS).

Methods: First, 149 parturients presented between July 2018 and July 2021 for CS were selected, including 74 cases (test group) treated with lactation prescription plus acupoint stimulation and 75 cases (control group) intervened by routine western medicine nursing intervention. The breastfeeding status, milk yield at 48 hours postpartum, breast tenderness (Visual Analogue Scale, VAS), neonatal weight at 42 days after delivery, and laboratory indexes (white blood cell count, WBC; adrenocorticotropin, ACTH; prolactin, PRL) were compared between the two cohorts. Finally, multivariate analysis was carried out using the logistic regression model to identify factors leading to low milk production in mothers 48 hours after CS.

Results: The test group was observed with a higher exclusive breastfeeding rate, higher milk yield at 48 hours postpartum, and milder breast tenderness (lower VAS score) than the control group. Higher neonatal weight at 42 days postpartum was also determined in the test group versus the control group. Moreover, the PRL at 3 days postpartum in the test group was statistically higher than that prenatal and at 1 day postpartum and the control group; markedly elevated WBC and reduced ACTH were observed at 1 d and 3 d postpartum compared with the prenatal, but no significant differences were identified between the test and control groups. According to the Logistic regression analysis, breast tenderness (P=0.009) was an independent risk factor for low lactation in mothers at 48 hours after CS.

Conclusion: Lactation prescription plus acupoint stimulation has a positive effect on improving the breastfeeding quality of parturients after CS and relieving breast tenderness, which is worth promoting clinically.

Keywords: Lactation prescription; acupoint stimulation; breast tenderness; breastfeeding quality; cesarean section.