Breast Care and Acupuncture Points GB 21: Boost Up Breast Milk Production

Breast feeding is recognized and highly recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) as optimal feeding for all infants. However, some of the obstacles experienced by postpartum mothers at the beginning of breastfeeding can cause ineffective breastfeeding. One of the causes of the lack of fulfillment of breast milk in infants is less milk production on the first day after birth. The lack of milk production can cause is that it is difficult for the baby to gain weight. Some alternative efforts that can be done are to stimulate prolactin and oxytocin hormones in postpartum mothers by providing Breast Care and GB21 point acupuncture. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of breast care and GB 21 acupuncture in postpartum mothers in the first ten days of producing breast milk. The research design used was a quasi-experimental design with Pretest-Posttest with Control Group. The number of samples studied was 90 respondents. Each group was breast care and 30 respondents. The intervention group was treated with acupuncture point GB 21 and 30 control patients. This research was conducted in February 2021 in Muara Enim Regency. The data were analyzed using the T-test and Anova test to see the effect of Breast Care and GB21 point acupuncture on breast milk production in postpartum mothers. The Breast Care action study results significantly increased the baby’s weight compared to the control group, as much as six times, while the administration of GB 21 acupuncture was twice that of the control group. This study concludes that Breast Care is one of the therapies that can increase breast milk production.