The Impact of Oxytocin Massage on Breast Milk Production in Mothers with Infants Aged 0–6 Months

Abstract

Background: Inadequate breast milk production remains one of the major barriers to successful exclusive breastfeeding among mothers with infants aged 0–6 months. Psychological stress, anxiety, fatigue, and insufficient oxytocin stimulation may inhibit the milk ejection reflex, resulting in reduced breast milk output. Oxytocin massage has been widely recognized as a simple non-pharmacological intervention to stimulate oxytocin release and improve lactation. Methods : This study employed a quantitative approach using a pre-experimental One Group Pretest–Posttest Design. The study was conducted at a community health center from January to March 2026 and involved 60 breastfeeding mothers with infants aged 0–6 months selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected using structured observation sheets and questionnaires to assess breast milk production before and after oxytocin massage. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and Paired Sample t-test with a significance level of 0.05. Results : The findings demonstrated that the mean breast milk production score increased from 58.63 ± 8.74 before the intervention to 76.95 ± 7.83 after oxytocin massage. Statistical analysis revealed a significant difference between pretest and posttest measurements (p < 0.001). Furthermore, the proportion of mothers with good breast milk production increased from 8.3% before the intervention to 56.7% afterward Conclusion : Oxytocin massage significantly improves breast milk production among breastfeeding mothers with infants aged 0–6 months. This intervention can be considered an effective, safe, and practical non-pharmacological strategy to support exclusive breastfeeding programs in maternal and child health services. Future studies using randomized controlled trials with larger sample sizes are recommended to provide stronger evidence regarding the effectiveness of oxytocin massage.