A Quasi-Experimental Study Investigating Changes in After-Labour Pain, Depression and Satisfaction with Intervention After Four-Square Breathing Among Postpartum Mothers

The World Health Organization (WHO) describes the postnatal period as the most critical and yet the most neglected phase in the lives of mothers and babies. Minor ailments which are physiologically rooted may cause some disruption in the normal routines of motherhood. After-labour pain is one such ailment which often goes unrecognized. After-labour pain causes discomfort to mother to perform daily routine activity of caring for herself and the baby. It also may act as a trigger in neuro-hormonal stress response which further leads to anxiety, insomnia and fatigue in post-natal women. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the changes in after-labour pain, depression and satisfaction with intervention after four-square breathing among postpartum mothers. METHODS: In this Quasi-Experimental study, 128 postpartum mothers were taken based on convenient sampling from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, PSG Hospitals, Coimbatore. RESULTS: The mean values of post- test of Group A and Group B for Numerical Pain Rating Scale were 3.58 & 3.42, for Beck’s Depression Inventory were 13.50 & 11.73 and for Satisfaction Likert Scale were 5.43 & 5.23 and the calculated paired ‘t’ test values were more than the table value at p<0.05 and independent ‘t’ test values for depression were more than the table value at p<0.05. Based on these values there was significant reduction in depression in Group B than in Group A. CONCLUSION: This study concludes that four-square breathing technique along with the conventional protocol showed a higher positive result in reducing depression in postpartum mothers. Key words: after-labour pain, depression, four-square breathing, postpartum mothers.