Comfort measures in breastfeeding, primiparous women.

OBJECTIVE

To examine various comfort measures and evaluate their effects in alleviating nipple soreness.

DESIGN

Prospectively randomized, experimental study.

SETTING

Postpartum unit of a community teaching hospital.

PATIENTS: Seventy-three primiparous, postpartum, breastfeeding women.

INTERVENTIONS: Subjects were randomly assigned to four groups, with all women receiving instruction about breastfeeding and using one of the following treatments: warm moist tea bag compress, warm water compress, expressed milk massaged into the nipple and areola and air dried, instruction only (control group). The subjects completed a questionnaire each morning for 7 days regarding nipple soreness.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Effect of treatments on postpartum nipple pain.

RESULTS

Subjects in the warm water compress group demonstrated significantly less pain on Day 3 than did the tea or breast milk group.

CONCLUSIONS

Anticipatory guidance by obstetric nurses may assist breastfeeding women in treating their pain nonpharmacologically.