Effect of Infant Massage on Breastfeeding Duration and Neonatal Weight Gain, a Quasi-Experiment

Abstract

Baby massage is touch therapy with certain techniques given by the masseuse's hands to the baby. Massage is given to babies to release endorphins, thereby providing a feeling of relaxation to the baby's muscles. This study aims to determine the effect of infant massage on the duration of breastfeeding and weight gain in neonates. This research used a quasi-experimental pretest and posttest design with a control group. Samples were taken using the total sampling method with a total sample of 30 respondents then divided into 2 groups, namely the intervention group and the control group. Data collection used observation sheets and data analysis used paired sample t test and independent t test with a significance level of 95% (α=0.05). The results of the study showed that the significance value of increasing the duration of breastfeeding and increasing the weight of neonates in the intervention group was higher with a mean value of 8.333 for duration of breastfeeding and 555,000 for weight with p = 0.000. Because p=0.000 <0.05, it can be concluded that there is an effect of baby massage on the duration of breastfeeding and the weight gain of neonates.