480
Views
0
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Original Articles

Evaluating the effect of nipple stimulation during labour on labour progression in term pregnant women

, , , &
 

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the effect of nipple stimulation during labour on duration of latent and active phases of labour in the term pregnant women. Pregnant women (222) were divided into two groups of nipple stimulation and control. Duration of latent and active phases of labour, the number of women treated with oxytocin, rate of caesarean section (C-section) and foetal outcomes were compared. The median of the latent phase duration of labour in the intervention and control groups was 3.2 (1.3–6.3) and 4.8 (0.8–3.0) h, respectively (p = .008); however, the median of active phase duration was 2.3 (1.4–3.0) in the intervention group and 2.5 (2.0–3.3) in control group, which was not significantly different (p = .249). Additionally, the number of women treated with oxytocin in nipple stimulation group was significantly (p = .001) less than the control group. More studies are needed to evaluate optimum frequency and duration of nipple stimulation during labour.

    IMPACT STATEMENT

  • What is already known on this subject? In limited studies, nipple stimulation is considered as a low-complication method for stimulating labour at onset.

  • What do the results of this study add? Nipple stimulation can be applied during labour for accelerating latent phase and reducing oxytocin infusion.

  • What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? Nipple stimulation can be applied as a non-pharmacological and non-invasive method allowing patient to control her own labour progression more effectively.

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the Tabriz University of Medical Sciences and for financial support.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Tabriz University of Medical Sciences.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.