Effects of Mothers’ Infant Massage on Bilirubin Levels and Re-hospitalization for Hyperbilirubinemia: A Quasi-experimental Study

Abstract

Hyperbilirubinemia is a physiological health problem of newborn infants, mostly occurring in the first week of life, which can delay development or cause disabilities or death. Massaging newborn infants early after delivery can promote bilirubin excretion and reduce hyperbilirubinemia. This quasi-experimental study aimed to determine the effect of infant massage performed by mothers on bilirubin levels and re-hospitalization for hyperbilirubinemia. The study was conducted at an obstetrics and gynecology ward of a secondary hospital in Bangkok, Thailand. The participants were 30 paired full-term infants and mothers who met the inclusion criteria. The experimental group (n = 15) received body massage performed by their mother for 15 minutes twice a day for four consecutive days, while the control group (n = 15) received only usual care. The transcutaneous bilirubin levels were recorded at 6, 48, and 96 hours after birth. Data on re-hospitalization with hyperbilirubinemia were recorded on Day 7 after birth and analyzed using Fisher’s exact test, independent t-test, and repeated measures ANOVA. The results revealed that the infants who received the massage had significantly lower mean bilirubin levels than those in the control group. However, there was no difference in the re-hospitalization with hyperbilirubinemia between the groups. In addition, the frequency of defecation on the first and fourth days in the experimental group was significantly greater than in the control group. The present study’s result indicated that mothers’ infant massage can help reduce bilirubin levels in full-term infants. The findings hold promise for nurses to integrate infant massage in training mothers at an early stage after birth for the prevention of hyperbilirubinemia in newborn infants. However, further testing with a larger sample size and randomized controlled trials are needed.