Hot Water vs. Cabbage Leaf Application: Evaluating Their Efficacy in Reducing Breast Engorgement and Pain Among Postnatal Women in a Tertiary Care Setting, Chennai

Abstract

Introduction: Breast engorgement is a common postpartum condition in lactating mothers, causing swollen, tender, and painful breasts due to excess milk accumulation. It usually occurs in the first few days after childbirth during the transition from colostrum to mature milk or due to infrequent or ineffective breastfeeding. If not properly managed, it can lead to complications such as mastitis, nipple pain, and early discontinuation of breastfeeding.
Materials and methods: A quasi-experimental design with a one-group pre-test and post-test approach utilized a non-probability purposive sampling technique on 40 cases of breast engorgement in postnatal mothers at PMCH&RI.
Results: The mean difference score was 1.65. The paired "t" test result of 5.051 was statistically significant with p<0.001, demonstrating the efficacy of Hot Water Application. The mean difference score was 2.75. The paired “t” test result of 7.180 was significant statistically at p < 0.001, suggesting that the application of cabbage leaves impacts breast engorgement.
Conclusion: The study concluded that the effective intervention of cabbage leaf application helps in reducing the level of breast engorgement among postnatal mother.

Keywords
Breast engorgement, hot water, cabbage leaf.