Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To study the effect of antenatal breast milk expression at term pregnancy and subsequent effect on postnatal lactation performance. METHODS: A sample size of 200 pregnant women who had completed 37 weeks of gestational period was selected. The sample size was divided equally into study (group 1) and control (group 2). The pregnant women in study (group 1) were advised to gently manually express their breasts at least once daily at any time, preferably during bathing. The remaining women constituted the group 2. At the time of delivery, all the mothers were advised to initiate breastfeeding their baby within half an hour of delivery. The time from initiation of lactation to full lactation when no top feed is required was noted. Assessment of sufficient lactation was judged by the objective and subjective criteria. RESULT: In the group 1, 89 % of the cases established full lactation within 6 h of delivery, whereas in the group 2 only 72 % of the cases had established full lactation within 6 h. The difference in the group 1 and the group 2 is statistically significant (P < 0.05) with regard to time interval from initiation of lactation to full lactation. Maternal perception of satisfactory lactation was statistically significantly higher in group 1 compared with group 2. In the group 1, 100 % of vaginal delivery (FTND) cases had established full lactation within 6 h compared with 81 % in the group 2. The result is statistically significant (P < 0.10). In the group 1, 80 % of the lower segment cesarean section deliveries established full lactation within 6 h, whereas in the group 2, it was 61 %. The result is statistically significant (P < 0.10). In objective criteria, the post-feed weight gain was higher in the group 1. CONCLUSIONS: Antenatal manual breast milk expression at term shortens the time taken to from initiation to full establishment of lactation, thus significantly improving postnatal lactational performance by early establishment of plentiful milk secretion.