The Acceptability, Feasibility, and Effectiveness of Breast Massage Combined with Acupoint Stimulation to Promote the Volume of Human Milk in Mothers with Preterm Infants: A Pilot Study

Table 1

Breast massage combined with acupoint stimulation intervention.

Intervention component	Timing and frequency	Description
Breast massage	<24 h after delivery, before expression (6–8 times per day), 15–20 minutes, 1 side, 30–40 minutes per time	(1) Massage the breast circularly with finger and palm, 20 times
		(2) Touch the breast with palm and shake it gently, 20 times
		(3) Pat the breast with four finger pulps from the periphery to center, 20 times
		(4) Comb the breast with five fingers from the root to the nipple, 20 times
Acupoint stimulation	<24 h after delivery, three times a day, 3–5 minutes per acupoint	Press Rugen ST18, Tanzhong CV17, Hegu LI4, and Shaoze SI1 acupoints, with index finger
		(1) Rugen ST18: located in the chest, under the straight nipple, at the root of breast, level with the fifth intercostal space, 4 inches from the anterior midline
		(2) Tanzhong CV17: located in the chest, the fourth costal space, on the anterior midline, the midpoint of the line between the two nipples
		(3) Hegu LI4: located at the midpoint of the first and second metacarpal bones, when the thumb and index finger are extended
		(4) Shaoze SI1: located 0.1 inches beside the nail corner on the side of the small ruler