Breastfeeding

Presentation Slides

Chinese Medicine Research Hub

Randomised Controlled Trial

Date fruit consumption appears to be useful for promoting and increasing breast milk quantity in breastfeeding mothers. Date fruits may be an alternative galactagogue.

2021 Breastfeeding Medicine The Effects of Date Fruit Consumption on Breast Milk Quantity and Nutritional Status of Infants
Modepeng T, Pavadhgul P, Bumrungpert A, Kitipichai W

Chinese Medicine Research Hub

Systematic Review

Gua sha therapy may be more effective than hot packs with massage for reducing breast pain.

2020 Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews Treatments for breast engorgement during lactation
Zakarija-Grkovic I, Stewart F

Chinese Medicine Research Hub

Randomised Controlled Trial

Fenugreek improves breast milk production in mothers and increases the weight gain of newborns during their first week of life.

2020 Clinical Epidemiology and Global Health Effect of fenugreek on breast milk production and weight gain among Infants in the first week of life
Ravi R, Joseph J

Chinese Medicine Research Hub

Systematic Review

The effectiveness of galactagogues in enhancing breast milk production has limited evidence.

2020 Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews Oral galactagogues (natural therapies or drugs) for increasing breast milk production in mothers of non‐hospitalised term infants
Foong SC, Tan ML, Foong WC, Marasco LA, Ho JJ, Ong JH

Chinese Medicine Research Hub

Systematic Review

Breast massage eases pain and symptoms in breastfeeding problems.

2019 JBI Database of Systematic Reviews and Implementation Reports Effectiveness of breast massage for the treatment of women with breastfeeding problems
Anderson L, Kynoch K, Kildea S, Lee N

Chinese Medicine Research Hub

Case Report

Chamomile consumption may stimulate abundant milk production and increase lactogenesis in lactating women.

2017 The Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine Chamomile reveals to be a potent galactogogue: the unexpected effect
Silva FV, Dias F, Costa G, Campos MG

Chinese Medicine Research Hub

Randomised Controlled Trial

Consumption of fenugreek herbal tea and palm dates appears useful in enhancing breast milk production during the initial postpartum period.

2014 Journal of Pediatric Sciences The Effect of Fenugreek Herbal Tea and Palm Dates on Breast Milk Production and Infant Weight.
El Sakka A, Salama M, Salama K

Executive Summary

Write an executive summary in the form of a blog article on the topic of "Research into Chinese medicine treatment for Breastfeeding" summarising the research below and using language that can be easily understood by patients and avoiding medical jargon using a professional and caring tone of voice.

Write an executive summary in the form of a blog article on the topic of "Researched Chinese medicine treatments for Breastfeeding" summarising the research below in an objective and easy to understand way, and using language that can be easily understood by patients. Group the article into Chinese medicine treatments first, followed by nutrition and other treatments. Avoid using medical jargon and use a professional and caring tone of voice.

Write me a concise but easy to understand executive summary on the topic of "Chinese medicine treatments for Breastfeeding" based on the following research that I will give you. Your summary should be 2 paragraphs long in Australian English spelling and include references to the studies.

A Randomised Controlled Trial published in 2021 in the journal Breastfeeding Medicine found that Date fruit consumption appears to be useful for promoting and increasing breast milk quantity in breastfeeding mothers. Date fruits may be an alternative galactagogue. Breastfeeding mothers who received 10 date fruits/day had an 11% increase in breast milk quantity from baseline to week 2, and a 23% increase from baseline to week 4, (both p < 0.05). The breast milk quantity of the breastfeeding mothers who received date fruits was significantly higher than that of the control group (p < 0.05). However, there were no differences in infant nutritional status.

A Systematic Review published in 2020 in the journal Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews found that Gua sha therapy may be more effective than hot packs with massage for reducing breast pain. In this version of the review, 21 studies involving 2170 breastfeeding women were analysed. A range of interventions for the treatment of breast engorgement were tested. These included: cabbage leaves, various compresses (ginger, cactus/aloe, hollyhock), massage plus cactus and aloe compress, acupuncture, ultrasound, acupressure, scraping therapy (Gua Sha), cold breast‐packs, electromechanical massage, Oketani breast massage, and medical treatments (serrapeptase, protease, oxytocin). Six studies used individual breasts as the unit of analysis making it difficult to evaluate the true effect of the studied intervention. Due to the heterogeneous interventions, we were unable to pool results in meta‐analysis; hence, a qualitative analysis resulted in the following findings.

A Randomised Controlled Trial published in 2020 in the journal Clinical Epidemiology and Global Health found that Fenugreek improves breast milk production in mothers and increases the weight gain of newborns during their first week of life. The study was an experimental design carried out in two groups, a control and an experimental group, at a maternity centre in Bangalore. A total of sixty postnatal mothers were selected and split evenly between the two groups. For the experimental group, 7.5 grams of fenugreek was steeped overnight; this resulting fenugreek water was then given to these participants once in the morning for one week. The study then assessed and compared the frequency of urination and weight of the infants between the two groups at different points: on the first, third, fifth, and seventh days. There was identifiable improvement in indicators of sufficient breast milk in the group that consumed the fenugreek compared to the control group. The influence of fenugreek on breast milk was identifiable through increased frequency of urination and weight gain in infants in their first week.

A Systematic Review published in 2020 in the journal Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews found that The effectiveness of galactagogues in enhancing breast milk production has limited evidence. The effectiveness of oral galactagogues for enhancing milk production in non-hospitalized breastfeeding mother-infant pairs was assessed through a review of 41 randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The trials included 3005 mothers and 3006 infants across various countries. The certainty of evidence was generally low due to biases, heterogeneity, and imprecise measurements. Pharmacological galactagogues like domperidone and metoclopramide showed potential for increasing milk volume, though evidence was limited. Natural galactagogues, such as fenugreek and moringa, demonstrated potential benefits for infant weight and milk volume, but substantial heterogeneity necessitates cautious interpretation. More high-quality RCTs are urgently needed to establish galactagogue efficacy and safety.

A Systematic Review published in 2019 in the journal JBI Database of Systematic Reviews and Implementation Reports found that Breast massage eases pain and symptoms in breastfeeding problems. This systematic review assesses the effectiveness of breast massage as a treatment for breastfeeding problems. It focuses on outcomes like pain reduction, increased milk supply, and resolution of issues like blocked ducts and mastitis. While breastfeeding is crucial for infant health, rates drop, and complications like mastitis contribute. The review covers studies from 1980 to 2017, including six diverse studies. Although outcomes varied due to different interventions and small sample sizes, all reported reduced pain. However, lack of detailed technique explanation and training hinder replicability. This research is valuable for healthcare professionals, suggesting a need for standardized measurement tools and more robust trials.

A Case Report published in 2017 in the journal The Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine found that Chamomile consumption may stimulate abundant milk production and increase lactogenesis in lactating women. In the report, a woman accidentally discovered an unexpected outcome - an abundant amount of milk and high breast tension - a few hours after consuming chamomile. This observation has not been documented before and sheds light on a possible natural means of stimulating milk production. Regular consumption of chamomile during pregnancy and lactation is well-known for various reasons, but this galactagogue effect, that is the promotion of lactation, has never been reported previously. The woman’s case was carefully documented and analysed to draw a correlation between chamomile intake and this resulting effect. The potential galactagogue effect of chamomile presents an interesting but unfamiliar aspect. This insight could be potentially useful for mothers struggling with breastfeeding,with the caveat being that the safety of this herbal product's intake without risk to mothers or newborns is still under scrutiny. The results are unexpected and novel, pointing towards a potential new benefit of chamomile tea for lactating women - stimulating lactogenesis. However, the conclusions are drawn from a single case and further in-depth studies are required to confirm this effect and to understand the underlying biological mechanisms at work.

A Randomised Controlled Trial published in 2014 in the journal Journal of Pediatric Sciences found that Consumption of fenugreek herbal tea and palm dates appears useful in enhancing breast milk production during the initial postpartum period. The study had 75 puerperal women randomized into one of three groups for two weeks: a fenugreek herbal tea group, a palm dates group, and a control group with no galactagogue. Maternal milk volume was gauged on the third postpartum day by manually pumping the breasts. To track the impact on the babies, the infants were weighed on specific days - day 0, 3, 7, and 14. Women who consumed fenugreek or dates had a noticeable breast milk volume increase on the third day postpartum. Additionally, infants who fed on maternal milk from mothers consuming dates registered weight gain on the seventh day. The infants in the fenugreek and the control group on the other hand, were still under their birth weight at this point. By the fourteenth day, there was no significant difference in any of the groups regarding the infant’s weight.

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