EFFECTIVENESS OF LACTATIONAL COUNSELING ON BREAST ENGORGEMENT AND NEW BORN FEEDING BEHAVIOUR AMONG POSTNATAL MOTHERS –A NARRATIVE REVIEW

Introduction: Breastfeeding is the universally preferred method of feeding a newborn. Breast engorgement is a condition that affects breastfeeding mothers early in the postpartum. The discomfort and tenderness as a result of the engorgement is a major contributing factor to the early cessation of breastfeeding. Many treatments for breast engorgement have been attempted and explored. The studies revealed that lactational counseling can increase the knowledge of mother in reducing the incidence of breast engorgement and in improving the new born feeding behaviour. Purpose: The purpose of this article were to find the evidences about the effectiveness of lactational counseling in reducing breast engorgement and in improving newborn feeding behaviour among postnatal mothers. Result: Using a narrative review approach, 20001 titles were retrieved and after screening, 7 articles were identified for full text screening based on the inclusion criteria. These studies reveled that educating the mothers were effective in reducing the breast engorgement and improving the new born feeding behaviour among postnatal mothers. Conclusion. The findings identify the wider importance of counseling postnatal mothers to reduce breast engorgement and to improve new born feeding techniques.