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The Effects of Postpartum Foot Massage on Maternal Breastfeeding Success, Sleep Quality, and Newborn Stress: A
Melek Nur Keçeli1, Hatice Gül Öztaş2
1Kahramanmaraş Necip Fazıl Şehir Hastanesi, Kahramanmaraş, Turkey.
Objective:
This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of foot massage applied to the mother in the early postpartum period on breastfeeding success, sleep quality, and newborn stress levels.
Method:
The study was conducted using a parallel-group randomized controlled trial design. The study included 70 primiparous postpartum women who had vaginal deliveries at a public hospital in southern Türkiye between December 2024 and August 2025. Participants were randomized into intervention (n = 35) and control (n = 35) groups. The intervention group received a total of 12 sessions (30 minutes each) of foot massage, three times a week for four weeks, starting from the first week postpartum, in addition to standard postpartum care. The control group received only standard postpartum care. Data were collected using the Personal Information Form, LATCH Breastfeeding Charting System and Documentation Tool, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the Newborn Stress Scale (NSS). The Mann-Whitney U test, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and Friedman test were used for data analysis; statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.
Results:
Initially, the groups were similar in sociodemographic and clinical characteristics (p > 0.05). Lactation success (LATCH) scores increased significantly in the intervention group in weekly measurements, and statistically significant differences were found at the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd follow-ups compared with the control group (p < 0.001). Sleep quality (PSQI) scores decreased significantly in the intervention group in the pre-test-post-test comparison (improvement in sleep quality) (p < 0.001). At the same time, no significant change was observed in the control group (p = 0.087). NSS scores decreased more markedly in the intervention group, with significant between-group differences observed at the 2nd and 3rd follow-ups (p < 0.001).
Conclusion:
Foot massage applied to the mother in the postpartum period increases breastfeeding success, improves maternal sleep quality, and reduces newborn stress levels. Foot massage can be considered an effective, safe, and feasible nonpharmacological intervention in postpartum care practices.
