AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY TO ASSESS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF APPLICATION OF CABBAGE LEAVES ON REDUCTION OF BREAST ENGORGEMENT AMONG POSTNATAL MOTHERS IN SELECTED HOSPITALS OF JABALPUR

Background—The most innate and purest of all human activities is breastfeeding. Its an up breast in strengthening the mother baby bonding. Amongst the postpartum complications one of the commonest is breast engorgement. Its an painful overfilling of the mammary glands with milk. If not treated it can result in severe breast complications like mastitis. The nurse practioners knowledge of alternative and complementary therapy of dealing with engorgements would surely help in reducing this post partum morbidity and thereby improving the maternal and newborn care Need Of The Study---The investigator herself is a woman, hence she could discern the urgent requirement of promoting an efficacious technique for decreasing the breast engorgement following labour. Using cabbage leaves is a convenient method for this purpose. Hence the study was undertaken to determine the outcome of cabbage leaves application in reducing it. Method The study utilized a Quasi experimental research approach with two group pretest - posttest design. The data was collected from selected hospitals of Jabalpur city by using purposive sampling technique. The sample comprised 40 postnatal mothers. The tool used for collecting demographic data were a interview along with the analogue pain scale and Hill& Humenic breast engorgement scale, Application of cabbage leaves was done for 20 minutes after the breast feeding for reduction of breast engorgement in post natal mother Result-- The assessment of breast engorgement scale in this study shows that the Assessment control group indicate majority of engorgement scale Severe engorgement (11) 55% group, moderate was (8) 40% and mild engorgement is (1) 5% Finding of the present study shows the assess in breast engorgement scale indicate majority of engorgement scale Severe engorgement (13) 65% group, moderate was (6)30% and mild engorgement is (1)5% in Pre-Experimental group. Finding of the present study shows the assess in breast engorgement scale indicate majority of engorgement scale Severe engorgement (11)55% group, moderate was (8)40% and mild engorgement is (1)5% in Post-Experimental group.The t-test compared result showed positive correlation that calculated value is t=5.075 which is greater than t=1.685 at the 0.05 level of significance. Findings related to the comparison of severity of the breast engorgement score with control group and experimental group by the unpaired t-test, compared result showed positive correlation t=3.90 which is greater than the table value 2.02 at the 0.05 level of significance. Conclusion—In order to foster the MGDs 4 and MGD 5 simple and easily available techniques like cabbage leaves application on breast engorgement should be commonised in practice by the nurse administrators and midwifery practioners so that this major discomfort is relieved .cabbage leaves does not reduce the milk production and suplly but only works on the fluid trapped around . it helps in the capillary dilatation and acts a counter irritant . The inflammation ,pain and engorgement is reduced allowing the milk to flow freely KEY WORDS-- Cabbage Leaves, Reduction of breast Engorgement, Postnatal mothers