Cindy-Lee Dennis, PhD

 

Other Breastfeeding Research Activities Abstracts

A Pilot RCT to evaluate the effectiveness of an All Purpose Nipple Ointment (APNO) in treating damaged nipples among breastfeeding women

Objective: To evaluate an All Purpose Nipple Ointment (APNO) and lanolin in the treatment of painful, damaged nipples in breastfeeding women.

Design: Single-site, double-blinded, randomized controlled trial.

Setting: A tertiary care, obstetrical hospital in Toronto, Canada.

Participants: 151 women in their first 2 weeks postpartum, identified as having damage to one or both nipples from breastfeeding, were identified as eligible and randomized using the hospital’s pharmacy standardized randomization procedure.

Intervention: Women applied either  the APNO (contained mupirocin 2% ointment – 15 grams,  betamethasone 0.1% ointment- 15 grams to which miconazole powder was added to give a 2% concentration) or modified lanolin to their nipples and areolas after every feeding for 10 days and then after every other feeding for 4 days, then nothing on day 15. Women continued to receive routine postpartum care pre- and post-discharge. All women at this hospital received consultation with a lactation consultant if she had nipple damage.

Main outcome measures: Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire was used to measure nipple pain. Assessment of mastitis symptoms was performed using an adapted version of Fetherston’s self-reported diagnostic criteria (1998).

Results: There were no differences in rates of nipple pain, rates of mastitis symptoms, rates of yeast infection symptoms between the APNO and lanolin groups. However, twice as many mothers in the APNO switched to bottle feeding formula by the time infant was 3 months of age.

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