Effect of hot pads applied to the breast during episiotomy repair on the amount of milk, breastfeeding motivation and perception of insufficient milk

This study was conducted to determine the effects of hot pads applied to the breast during episiotomy repair on the amount of milk, breastfeeding motivation and the perception of insufficient milk. The type of study is a randomized controlled intervention study. The population of the study consisted of term and primiparous pregnant women who gave birth normally between October 2023 and June 2024 at Konya Selcuk University Medical Faculty Hospital Maternity Unit (n=218). The research was randomized using the https://www.random.org/ website. A 15-item introductory information form containing the sociodemographic and obstetric characteristics of women prepared by the researcher in the light of literature, a postpartum milk expression and amount information form (8 questions for the intervention group and 6 questions for the control group), Primipar Breastfeeding Motivation Scale and Insufficient Milk Perception Scale were used. The study data were collected with the mothers through face-to-face interviews. In the analysis of the data, the chi-square test was used to compare the descriptive and obstetric characteristics of the women, and the t-test was used in independent groups was used to compare the milk amount and scale scores of the women after the application. The mean age of the intervention group was 24.11±4.49 years and 22.88±3.28 years in the control group. The mean episiotomy repair time (min) was 21.32±6.71 in the intervention group and 26.06±7.40 in the control group, and the mean amount of milk expressed by women (ml/cc) was 4.09±2.12 in the intervention group and 2.82±1.73 in the control group. In our study, it was found that the value given to breastfeeding (p<0.001), self-efficacy (p<0.001), and midwife support scores (p<0.001), which are sub-dimensions of the breastfeeding motivation scale, were higher in the intervention group and the success expectation sub-dimension was lower (p<0.001) in the control group. In our study, inadequate milk perception scale score was higher in the intervention group than in the control group. This finding indicates that women in the control group had higher levels of inadequate milk perception. As a result, hot pads applied to the breast during episiotomy repair increase the amount of milk, increase the value given to breastfeeding, self-efficacy and midwife support scores, which are sub-dimensions of the breastfeeding motivation scale, and reduce the expectation of success and the perception of insufficient milk. The application of hot pads to the breasts during episiotomy care by midwives is important for promoting the use of non-pharmacological practices that support breastfeeding and enhance the quality of postpartum care in clinical settings. Key Words: breastfeeding, episiotomy, hot application, motivation, milk amount.