Objective: To compare the effects of different relaxation techniques on physiological outcomes and perceived relaxation in primiparous Chinese mothers breastfeeding their healthy term infant.
Design: Twenty primiparous mothers who were breastfeeding were enrolled into a within-subject study, and attended six treatment sessions in randomized order (relaxation meditation tape [RM], music tape [M], relaxation lighting [L], combined RM+L, and combined M+L, and control session with no intervention), with a washout period of 1-3 days between sessions. Heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP, DBP), fingertip temperature, and perceived relaxation were assessed before and after each session.
Results: Compared with the pretest state, significant changes for all outcomes (p < 0.05) were observed for RM, RM+RL, M+RL treatments, whereas differences for all outcomes apart from SBP were observed for treatment M. Compared with the control, significant changes were found in all outcomes for RM treatment, and in fingertip temperature and perceived relaxation for all treatments.
Conclusion: Our findings suggest that simple relaxation techniques can reduce both perceived and physiological markers of stress in breastfeeding mothers. Overall, the RM was the most effective technique compared with the control state, considering the number of outcomes affected, effect sizes, and simplicity, suggesting this merits further research in this population.
Keywords: anxiety; breastfeeding; lactation; relaxation therapy; stress.