Study on Breathing Exercises Before Breastfeeding to Reduce Anxiety and Stress in Mothers and Their Newborns in NICU

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating how breathing exercises before breastfeeding may affect maternal anxiety, psychological well-being, and infant stress in mothers whose babies are admitted to a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit NICU in eastern Turkey. This randomized controlled clinical trial, starting in November 2024, aims to provide insight into non-pharmacological methods to reduce the psychological challenges faced by mothers during this stressful period. Mothers are divided into two groups to compare the effects of a specific breathing exercise versus routine hospital care. The intervention involves mothers in the experimental group performing a four-square breathing exercise three times daily for two days under researcher supervision. This exercise includes inhaling, holding breath, exhaling, and emptying lungs each to a count of four, lasting 5 to 10 minutes per session. Mothers in the control group receive only routine care and complete questionnaires without performing the breathing exercise. After two days, mothers in the control group are offered the chance to try the breathing exercise if they wish. Participants complete questionnaires assessing anxiety, psychological well-being, and infant stress before and after the intervention days. Researchers use validated scales including the State and Trait Anxiety Inventory, Psychological Well-being Scale, and Neonatal Stress Scale to measure changes. Data is continuously monitored, considering factors like premature infant discharge or incomplete information. The study concludes in November 2026 and includes both primary and secondary outcome measurements related to maternal and neonatal stress and well-being.

The Effect of Pre-Breastfeeding Breathing Exercises on Maternal Anxiety, Well-being, and Infant Stress in Mothers Whose Infants Are in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit