Authors (including presenting author) :
Jim YL (1), Lai KW (1), Yeung SYC (1)(2), Siu KY (1)
Affiliation :
(1) Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Prince of Wales Hospital (2) Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Introduction :
Postpartum mothers whose newborns are admitted to Neonatal unit (NNU) often encountered various challenges, such as concerns about baby’s health, which can lead to heightened levels of stress and anxiety compared to mothers without maternal-newborn separation. This could in turn result in a low breast milk supply. Oxytocin is an essential lactation hormone in milk ejection and it also contributes to relaxation and reduction of stress responses. It is evidenced that oxytocin secretion could be hindered by stress and anxiety, and decreased level of oxytocin could result in lower volume of breast milk expressed by mothers. With the appropriate selection of music, music therapy can help increase oxytocin level, thereby enhancing expression of breast milk (EBM) volume and promoting higher levels of relaxation and comfort. In this project, a specific kind of music is offered to the recruited cases to increase volume of EBM and to reduce the level of stress.
Objectives :
(1) To increase EBM volume of early Postpartum in-patient mothers whose newborns are admitted to NNU by offering a list of selected music tracks; and (2) To reduce stress level of the same group of mothers by offering the selected music tracks.
Methodology :
A “Pre-test” vs. “Post-test” design was employed. Subjects were (1) Early Postpartum mothers in a Postnatal ward whose newborns are admitted to NNU; and (2) Opted for breastfeeding their newborns. Before offering music, the volume of the first time of EBM collection after delivery was recorded and a pre-test questionnaire on stress level measured by ‘Perceived Stress Scale’ (PSS) would be completed by the recruited clients. Seven music tracks were selected under 5 special musical criteria, including: (1) tempo (2) timbre (3) dynamics (4) melody and (5) rhythm. These tracks were offered to the recruited clients through a QR code. They were instructed to play the music tracks by scanning the QR code along with the subsequent EBM sessions. The volumes of subsequent EBM sessions after 18:00 on the next day were recorded, and a post-test questionnaire on PSS were completed again by clients. Outcome measures were categorised as: (1) EBM volume, (2) PSS score.
Result & Outcome :
During the pilot period from Aug to Dec 2024, 30 in-patient mothers in a Postnatal ward participated. After listening to the selected music tracks through the QR code provided, there were 50% increase in EBM volume and 27% reduction of stress level. For the change in EBM volume, the smallest increase in EBM was 0.1 ml , while the largest increase was 6 ml (from 1.8 ml to 8 ml of EBM collected by the same client on the next day, which is a significant increase in EBM during the first few days after delivery (known as ‘lactogenesis I’ - colostrum stage)). For the change in stress level, the score of PSS reduced from 37 to 28. This project is currently under implementation and additional data will be collected for more thorough analysis. In this project, the selected music tracks provided to our clients were shown to increase breast milk supply and reduce stress level in early Postnatal mothers whose newborns were admitted to NNU. In view of the positive results during the pilot period, more Postnatal mothers suffering from maternal-newborn separation will be recruited from other Postnatal wards in our hospital. This will allow us to extend support for enhancing breast milk production and reducing stress level for more clients in need.
