Analysis of the impact of postpartum fatigue on the onset of lactation / 中华护理杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To explore the impact of postpartum fatigue on the onset of lactation.Methods Totally 553 mother-infant dyads were enrolled from three hospitals in Nantong City using sampling method of probability proportional to size.The timing of the onset of lactation,delayed onset of lactation and maternal postpartum fatigue were measured during the period of hospitalization.Postpartum fatigue was measured by Fatigue Scale-14.The timing of onset of lactation was determined by matemal perception of breast fullness.One-way analysis of variance was used to compare the difference of onset of lactation in four groups with varied fatigue scores.Impact of the maternal fatigue on the onset of lactation was analyzed by multiple linear regression.Results Mothers' fatigue score was related to the onset of lactation(r-0.15,P＜0.001).Mothers with postpartum fatigue scores ranging from 9 to 14 had delayed onset of lactation compared with those with fatigue score ranging from 0 to 3 and from 4 to 5,and the differences were significant (P=0.004),and the rate of delayed onset of lactation was increased (P=0.020).Postpartum fatigue was an independent risk factor,after controlling mode of delivery,mode of anesthesia,duration of infant sucking,maternal pain,and infant sucking gesture(t=3.26,P=0.001).Conclusion Postpartum fatigue is one of reasons leading to delayed onset of lactation.Health care providers and family members should pay more attention to postpartum fatigue and take effective measures to promote a successful onset of lactation and breastfeeding.