The effect of cabbage leave application in mothers having breast engorgement

Objective: In this study, it is aimed to determine the effect of cabbage leaf application upon pain, allayment of breast tissue, amount of milk by pumping in maternal having engorgement, and upon the anxiety level of maternal and her contentedness from the application of cabbage leaf. Method: The study has been conducted with 18 maternals whose infants were hospitalized in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Children's Hospital in Faculty of Medicine of Ege University and whose both breasts had engorgement between the dates of September 2018 and January 2019. In the gathering of research data, "Maternal Description Form" and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory has been utilized. A leave of cabbage has been applied to a breast of maternal for two hours. But the other one hasn't been applied. Afterwards both breasts have been milked through electronical milking pump simultaneously, at the same vacuum and speed. Thereafter the milking process, for both breasts of her, pain, allayment, level of contentedness, amount of milk taken by pumping, and level of anxiety has been re-evaluated. Findings: Age average of mothers has been found as 29.78±6.44 years. Of 88.9% mothers appealingly became pregnant. It has been determined that 61.1% of the mothers had the first delivery, and 38.9% of them had had two and more deliveries. Of 38.9% of the mothers had vaginal delivery and 61.1% of them had C-section. Of 61.1% of them were born in a period of above 37 weeks. It has been determined that the engorgement problems of the mothers emerged between the second and 15th postnatal days. When the mothers are asked about the state of engorgement's affection that they experienced on breastfeeding or milking process, 27.8% of them gave answers as it tinctures, 27.8% of them answered as it effects reasonably, and 44.4% of them responded as it effects dreadfully. The average of pain level in maternals has been found as 6.50±1.98 in the breast cabbage leaf that hasn't been applied on, and as 3.56±2.12 in the breast cabbage leaf applied on, and the pain level in the breast cabbage leaf applied on has been determined as statistically significant lower level than the breast that hasn't been applied on (p=0.001, p<0.01). The average of level of allayment in maternals has been ascertained as 4.33±1.24 in the breast cabbage leaf that hasn't been applied on, and as 7.38±1.95 in the breast cabbage leaf applied on, and the level of allayment in the breast cabbage leaf applied on has been determined as statistically significant higher level than the breast that hasn't been applied on (p=0.001, p<0.01). The average of contentedness level in maternals has been found out as 4.72±1.71 in the breast cabbage leaf that hasn't been applied on, and as 7.94±2.10 in the breast cabbage leaf applied on, and the contentedness level in the breast cabbage leaf applied on has been determined as statistically significant higher level than the breast that hasn't been applied on (p=0.001, p<0.01). The average of amount of milk taken by pumping in maternals has been found out as 30.06±29.24 ml in the breast cabbage leaf that hasn't been applied on, and as 46.44±34.99 ml in the breast cabbage leaf applied on, and the amount of milk taken by pumping in the breast cabbage leaf applied on has been determined as statistically significant higher than the breast that hasn't been applied on (p=0.001, p<0.01). Maternal state anxiety inventory point avearage has been found as 44.00±12.09 point before cabbage leaf application, and as 34.33±8.76 point after application, and the fall down in the points of state anxiety inventory of post-application has been found statistically significant in comparison to pre-intervention (p=0.001, p<0.01). Conclusion: According to the findings obtained from research data, it has been concluded that the pain level and state anxiety inventory points of maternals having engorgement on the breast that cabbage leaf applied is lower than the breast on that hasn't been applied, and the level of allayment and contentedness and the amount of milk has been increased significantly. The cabbage leaf application can be ordered to the maternals having difficulty with engorgement, and health care providers can be trained on the subject of this application. The researchers shall study with the larger sample groups and the more different research tasks on this issue. Keywords: Cabbage; breast; lactation; pain