Effect of Music Therapy on Relaxation and Breastfeeding Anxiety

Abstract

Clinical nurses on a postpartum unit noted an opportunity to improve patient care during the breastfeeding process. Although breastfeeding is perceived to be a natural physiological process, many postpartum women experience breastfeeding anxiety. Maternal anxiety decreases the milk production by inhibiting the milk ejection reflex. The 8A’s evidence-based practice model was used to answer the PICO (P—patient, problem or population; I–intervention; C–comparison, control, or comparator; O—outcome(s)) question. To determine whether, among postpartum breastfeeding women, music therapy increased relaxation and reduced breastfeeding anxiety. Scientific literature demonstrates that music therapy is an effective evidenced-based intervention to improve the following outcomes: milk volume, cortisol level, anxiety-related behaviors, and self-reported relaxation and anxiety. The health care system’s Institutional Review Board approved the project with exempt status on July 26, 2019 (IRB#:1908801). All breastfeeding women who were admitted to the postpartum unit were offered the opportunity to participate. Implementation occurred for those who agreed to participate (n = 30) during one of the feedings between 24 and 96 hours postpartum. Using disposable earphones, women were asked to listen to music of their choice (lullaby, instrumental, or piano with nature sounds) for at least 5 minutes before the breastfeeding session. They then began breastfeeding while the same music played through a speaker. After breastfeeding sessions were completed, the participants filled out self-reported surveys. Using Likert-scale surveys, breastfeeding women reported feeling significantly more relaxed after breastfeeding, as evidenced by a mean score of 6.07 (0 = not relaxed to 7 = very relaxed). The change in breastfeeding anxiety level through survey questions, “I have previously been anxious about breastfeeding,” and “I am anxious about breastfeeding in the future,” was statistically significant (p < .001). Music therapy increases relaxation, decreases breastfeeding anxiety, and, therefore, enhances the milk ejection reflex. Furthermore, past research has found that maternal anxiety decreases the chance of breastfeeding success and increases the risk for postpartum depression. Future projects could examine the effect of music therapy on exclusive breastfeeding rate, postpartum depression, and pumped-milk volume produced by mothers of premature newborns.