Influence Oxytocin Massage on Reduce Lactation Problems and Support Infants Growth

Abstract

Background: Lactation problems often occur in the early postnatal period. One of them is the readiness of the mother in early breastfeeding.  Early breastfeeding is one of the effective efforts in providing nutrition for newborns and preventing lactation problems. In 2019, in Indonesia, the percentage of newborns who received early breastfeeding was 75.58%. The success rate of this is closely related to lactation readiness in early postpartum. To support the success of lactation, postpartum mothers need to be given education on methods to stimulate milk production at the beginning of the puerperium with oxytocin massage. Good breast milk production will support the nutritional adequacy of the baby and reduce lactation problems in the early postpartum period.  Objectives: the purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of oxytocin massage on lactation problems and infant growth.  Methods: This study was pre-experimental research using posttest only design and true-experiment using posttest only control group design. The research locations were in the Mother and Child Health Clinic and Midwives Independent Practice (PMB) in Bantul, Sleman, and Gunung Kidul Yogyakarta. Implementation from April until September 2020. The population of this study was all the families of postpartum mothers from the first to the third day and after 1 week an evaluation of breastfeeding. The sampling technique uses total sampling was 80 postpartum mothers on the first-third day of childbirth until the baby was 2 months old. The research instruments were the oxytocin massage checklist, lactation problems, and body length observation sheet. Test analysis using Wilcoxon.   Results: The results of this study were that the majority of respondents performed oxytocin massage with a frequency more than 3 times (51%) the first week of postnatal, respondents experienced lactation problems in the first week of postnatal by 16.3% and at the 4th postnatal visit all respondents had no lactation problems. The average increase in the length of the baby's body at the age of 2 months is 8.44. The majority of the baby's body length at the age of 2 months corresponds to age (98.8%). The results of bivariate analysis of oxytocin massage were effective in reducing lactation problems (p=0.000) and supporting infants' growth (p=0.000).  Conclusion: Oxytocin massage is effective in reducing lactation problems and supporting infants' growth. Oxytocin massage should be implemented in postnatal care to prevent lactation problems and support breastfeeding.