Efficacy of a Breastfeeding Pain Self-Management Intervention: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.
Ruth Lucas, Yiming Zhang, Stephen J Walsh and 3 others
PMID 30829925WHAT IT FOUND
General pain and breastfeeding duration were not significantly improved.
Breast and nipple pain was lower with the nurse-led breastfeeding pain self-management intervention in early postpartum weeks. This is a small pilot, not proof.
Key findings
01Breast and nipple pain was lower in the intervention group at week 1 and week 2 on a 0-100 scale: 32.5 versus 47.0 and 22.7 versus 40.0.
02The linear mixed model estimated 14.17 lower breast and nipple pain score for the intervention group, while general pain intensity and interference did not show significant main effects.
03The intervention did not significantly increase breastfeeding duration.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The paper reports 65 recruited, 60 completed, and 56 analyzed. The difference between completed and analyzed participants is not explained. The intervention combined nurse-led texting, educational modules, a daily journal, and reminders. The contribution of any single component cannot be separated. Analgesic and nonpharmacological pain treatments were reported, but doses and frequency were not collected. Pain outcomes may be confounded. The sample was small, mostly Caucasian, highly educated, higher income, and recruited at two academic hospitals with lactation support. The paper tested several pain outcomes at multiple timepoints. It does not clearly identify a single primary outcome.
Declared interests
The authors report no conflicts of interest. The supplied publication types list NIH extramural research support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that texting alone caused the pain reduction. The intervention also included educational modules, a daily journal, reminders, and nurse-led support. Do not treat the lower breast and nipple pain scores as proof that the intervention improves general pain or breastfeeding duration.