The Effects of Mindfulness on Lactation: An Integrative Review

It is well-known that stress and high levels of cortisol can negatively impact lactation outcomes. Mindfulness techniques are also known to be effective at reducing stress, and there has been some research into the effects of these techniques on breastfeeding. However, there has not yet been an integrative review examining the outcomes of the research carried out on this subject in the past 10 years. The objective of this integrative review was to assess the effect of mindfulness techniques on lactation. This includes the effects on maternal stress, both perceived and physiologic, milk composition and volume, as well as the effects on the infants. The electronic databases Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane were searched using the key terms "meditate, meditation, relaxation or mindfulness" and "breastfeeding or lactation." Nine articles met the inclusion criteria. Six key themes were identified. Mindfulness techniques reduce perceived and physiologic maternal stress and increase infant growth, particularly in the late preterm early term infant population. Infant behavior was also impacted by maternal mindfulness techniques as well as maternal milk volume, expression, and breastfeeding/pumping frequency. However, the effectiveness of mindfulness techniques is dose dependent. Mindfulness techniques are a simple and practical tool for postpartum breastfeeding people that have the potential to improve both lactation and infant outcomes.