Author/Authors :
Ghasemi، Vida نويسنده Department of Midwifery, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran , , Kheirkhah، Masoomeh نويسنده Department of Midwifery, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Iran University of Medical Sciences, P. O. Box: 1996713883, Tehran, IR Iran. Tel: +98-9124137578, Fax: +98-2188201978 , , Neisani Samani، Leila نويسنده Department of Midwifery, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran , , Vahedi، Mohsen نويسنده Gastroentrology and Liver Diseases Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Vahedi, Mohsen
Abstract :
Background: Breastfeeding is an economic and valuable method to protect infantʹs health during the life and provides unique biological and emotional effects for mothers and infants.
Objectives: This study aimed to determine the effect of herbal tea containing Fennel seed on breast milk sufficiency signs and growth parameters of Iranian infants in medical health centers of Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Patients and Methods: This study was a randomized clinical trial performed on 78 girl infants aged 0-4 months who were exclusively breastfed. After getting informed consent infants were randomly assigned into the intervention group (received herbal tea containing 7.5 g Fennel seed powder in addition to 3 grams black tea three times a day) and the control group (received herbal tea containing 3 grams black tea powder three times a day). Before and during four weeks of study, signs of breast milk sufficiency were evaluated through measuring the growth parameters and the number of wet diapers in a day, frequency of defecation and infant breastfeeding times.
Results: Before intervention, there was no significant difference between weight, height, head circumference, the number of wet diapers and frequency of defecation times between the two groups (P > 0.05), but the number of breastfeeding times of control group was more than the Fennel group. After fourth weeks, Fennel significantly increased weight from (5261.0256 ± 1167.65801) to (6393.3333 ± 1083.42132), head circumference from (38.6103 ± 2.20033) to (40.1538 ± 2.00510), the number of wet diapers from (5.5000 ± 1.05131) to (8.5421 ± 1.21182), the frequency of defecation times from (1.7692 ± 1.03139) to (2.6410 ± 1.14655) and the number of breastfeeding times from (9.9359 ± 1.85380) to (16.7399 ± 1.63766) (P < 0.001), but it had no effect on height (P = 0.066).
Conclusions: Herbal tea containing fennel seed improved breast milk sufficiency signs.
