Authors (including presenting author) :
Shek LL(1), Lai KW(1), Cheng KY(1), Lam KY(1), Chau MCM(1)
Affiliation :
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Prince of Wales Hospital
Introduction :
Having a newborn baby brings lots of excitement and happiness to a new family. But the exaggerated ideal image of a mother means stress to her body and mind. She needs to learn the skills in baby care and breastfeeding immediately after delivery. Although they frequently complained of exhaustion in caring for their babies, they gave up most of the rest time in using a mobile device and engaged in social networks. A study conducted by Doulougeri (2013) confirmed that maternal stress could inhibit lactation and milk let-down reflex. Pressure and stress also put them at risk of postpartum emotional disturbance.
Objectives :
-To provide and encourage the mothers to rest during the daytime to reduce stress, and enhance breastfeeding - To calm the baby and decrease baby crying thus to decrease mothers’ stress level
Methodology :
To create a calm and relax environment in the postnatal ward, we broadcast relaxation music from 15:00 for about an hour daily. We dimmed the light and minimized ward activities and visitors. A theta wave music is adopted with permission from the musician. Supporting staff is advised to round the cubicles more frequently to offer help immediately if needed. A self-designed questionnaire to collect the feedback and comments from the mothers in the first week of project implementation.
Result & Outcome :
97 questionnaires were collected. During the music session, 55.7% of mothers and 54.6% of babies were taking a nap. 26.8% were feeding babies, and 11.3% having skin-to-skin contact with babies. 100% of mothers agreed that this project created a hypnotic environment. It made them calm and facilitated relaxation. 97.9% agreed that theta wave music lifts their mood. 76.3% reflected that the baby seemed to be contented in breastfeeding after listening to the music. 69.1% of them commented it could facilitate lactation. There were 38% of the mothers had hand expression, and their colostrum was increased from 0.1 to 8 ml, 0.6 ml on average. The findings showed that music in nap time could calm and relax mother-baby dyad. It also enhanced lactation and breastfeeding by evidence of an increase in expressed colostrum.
