| Zusammenfassung: | <p><strong>Background:</strong> Mothers of very premature newborns often have low milk supply. Systematic review has shown increased milk quantity with relaxation interventions. We hypothesised that a self-directed audio relaxation and lactation-specific visualisation would increase milk quantity after a very premature birth.</p>
<p><strong>Methods:</strong> Unmasked, randomised, controlled trial, recruiting 132 participants in four United Kingdom neonatal units. Eligible women had given birth to one or two infants between 23+0 and 31+6 weeks of gestation. The intervention was a 12-min voice recording including breathing exercises, muscle relaxation and lactation-specific visualisation. Primary outcome was the highest 24-h breastmilk weight expressed on any of day 4, day 14 or day 21 after birth.</p>
<p><strong>Results:</strong> Mean birth gestation was 27.8 weeks (SD 2.4), with 26% of participants giving birth under 26 weeks (34/132). Adjusted mean difference in primary outcome was 73.9 g (95% CI −61.7 to 209.5, p = 0.28). Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Index adjusted mean difference was −1.9 (−8.2 to 4.3, p = 0.54). The majority of relaxation group participants felt the intervention was relaxing (32/42, 76%).</p>
<p><strong>Conclusion:</strong> There was no beneficial effect of this relaxation intervention on milk quantity. Mothers of very premature infants may value relaxation interventions but they are unlikely to have a large effect on milk quantity.</p>
<p><strong>Impact</strong><br>
This randomised trial did not show a beneficial effect of a self-directed audio relaxation and visualisation on mothers’ own milk quantity expressed after very preterm birth.<br><br>
Mothers of very and extremely preterm infants may value relaxation interventions, but they are unlikely to have a large effect on milk quantity.
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Prior systematic review of mixed populations has shown an increase in mothers’ own milk quantity with relaxation interventions. Combining this study with existing meta-analysis could result in a new hypothesis that the lower the gestation at birth, the smaller the impact of relaxation on milk quantity.
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