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Breast binding... is it all that it's wrapped up to be?
1Breastfeeding Center, Rapides Women's and Children's Hospital, Alexandria, LA 71301, USA. kathy.swift@hcahealthcare.com
Objective:
To investigate the difference in breast symptoms between breast binding and support bra wearing in nonbreastfeeding postpartum mothers.
Design:
A systematic replication of an earlier study by Bristol using a pre-experimental posttest design.
Setting:
A private, for-profit hospital in a city in the south-central region of the United States.
Participants:
Sixty nonbreastfeeding postpartum women who gave birth to viable newborns of singleton gestations, had an uncomplicated postpartum, and did not receive hormonal lactation suppressants.
Main Outcome Measures:
Postpartum breast engorgement, leakage, tenderness, and use of pain relief measures as measured by the Bristol Record of Symptoms.
Results:
Analysis of the data revealed no significant difference relative to breast engorgement between the two groups during the first 10 postpartum days. However, the breast-binder group reported a greater degree of breast tenderness, breast leakage, and use of other pain relief measures.
Conclusion:
Breast binding should be discontinued as a method of lactation suppression and use of support bras encouraged. Future studies need to focus on comfort for nonbreastfeeding, postpartum mothers.