Effects of relaxation therapy on maternal psychological status and infant growth following late preterm and early-term delivery: a randomized controlled trial.
Jinyue Yu, Zhuang Wei, Jonathan Ck Wells, Mary Fewtrell
The American journal of clinical nutrition February 2023 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajcnut.2022.12.002 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 96 |
| Population | Healthy Chinese primiparous mother-infant pairs after late preterm or early-term delivery (34+0-37+6 gestation weeks) |
| Intervention | Relaxation meditation |
| Duration | 1 week to 8 weeks postpartum |
| Measures | Perceived Stress Scale, Beck Anxiety Inventory, infant weight and length standard deviation score, breast milk energy and macronutrient composition, maternal breastfeeding attitudes, infant behaviors (3-d diary), 24-hour milk intake |
| Keywords | Breastfeeding Infant weight Lactation Maternal stress Milk intake Mother–infant signaling |
| Key findings | Daily relaxation meditation produced a significantly greater reduction in maternal perceived stress (mean difference 2.65; 95% CI 0.8, 4.5) and greater infant weight standard deviation score gain (mean difference 0.51; 95% CI 0.2, 0.9) from 1 to 8 weeks postpartum than normal care. Exploratory analyses indicated a significant interaction with infant sex, with greater weight gain effects in female infants, whose mothers used the intervention more frequently and had higher milk energy at 8 weeks. |
Abstract
Maternal stress is one modifiable variable that could influence mother-infant signaling and negatively affect breastfeeding and infant growth. This study aimed to test the hypothesis that relaxation therapy would reduce maternal stress and improve infant growth, behavior, and breastfeeding outcomes after late preterm (LP) and early-term (ET) delivery. A single-blind randomized controlled trial was conducted in healthy Chinese primiparous mother-infant pairs after LP or ET delivery (34+0-37+6 gestation weeks). Mothers were randomly assigned to the intervention group (IG, listening to relaxation meditation at least once a day) or control group (CG, normal care). Primary outcomes-changes in maternal stress (perceived stress scale), anxiety (Beck Anxiety Inventory), and infant weight and length standard deviation score-were assessed at 1 wk and 8 wks postpartum. Secondary outcomes-breast milk energy and macronutrient composition, maternal breastfeeding attitudes, infant behaviors (3-d diary), and 24-hour milk intake-were assessed at 8 wks. In total, 96 mother-infant pairs were recruited. There was a significantly greater reduction in maternal perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale score) (mean difference [MD] = 2.65; 95% CI: 0.8, 4.5) and significantly greater infant weight standard deviation score gain (MD = 0.51; 95% CI: 0.2, 0.9) from 1 wk to 8 wks in the IG than those in the CG. Exploratory analyses showed a significant interaction between intervention and sex, with greater effects on weight gain in female infants. Mothers of female infants used the intervention more frequently with significantly higher milk energy observed at 8 wks. The relaxation meditation tape is a simple, effective practical tool that could easily be used in clinical settings to support breastfeeding mothers after LP and ET delivery. The findings need confirmation in larger groups and in other populations.