The Power Of Touch: Exploring The Role Of Infant Massage In Prolonging Breastfeeding - Desyanti, Harwin Holilah; Fitriani, Amilya Maika (Program Studi Kebidanan Fakultas Ilmu Kesehatan Universitas Malahayati, 2025)
Latar Belakang : Pijat bayi telah lama dikenal sebagai intervensi yang bermanfaat untuk meningkatkan kesehatan dan kesejahteraan bayi. Sentuhan lembut ini tidak hanya berdampak pada bayi, tetapi juga memberikan manfaat emosional dan fisiologis bagi ibu. Tujuan : Tinjauan literatur ini bertujuan untuk mengeksplorasi pengaruh pijat bayi terhadap durasi menyusui, dengan menyoroti manfaat fisiologis, emosional, dan psikologis bagi ibu dan bayi. Metode : Penelitian ini menggunakan metode tinjauan literatur terhadap berbagai studi yang dipublikasikan dalam sepuluh tahun terakhir, dengan fokus pada keterkaitan antara pijat bayi, peningkatan hormon oksitosin pada ibu, kenyamanan bayi, dan ikatan emosional. Hasil : Hasil kajian menunjukkan bahwa pijat bayi secara signifikan meningkatkan hasil menyusui melalui peningkatan relaksasi bayi, penurunan stres ibu, dan peningkatan interaksi saat menyusui. Pijat bayi juga efektif mendukung pertambahan berat badan, mengurangi kolik, memperbaiki kualitas tidur bayi, dan menurunkan gejala depresi pascamelahirkan pada ibu. Kesimpulan : Pijat bayi berpotensi besar sebagai bagian dari program dukungan menyusui karena manfaatnya yang menyeluruh bagi ibu dan bayi. Saran : Penelitian lanjutan diperlukan dengan desain lebih kuat dan durasi jangka panjang, serta pengembangan protokol standar yang mempertimbangkan variasi budaya. Kata Kunci : Ikatan ibu-bayi, menyusui, pijat bayi, relaksasi, stress pascamelahirkan ABSTRACT Background: Infant massage has been widely recognized as a beneficial intervention to support infant health and maternal well-being. Its physiological, emotional, and psychological benefits may influence breastfeeding outcomes, which remain a global public health concern due to the suboptimal rates of exclusive breastfeeding. Purpose: This literature review aims to investigate the effect of infant massage on breastfeeding duration by synthesizing recent evidence on its biological and psychosocial mechanisms in both infants and mothers. Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted by analyzing peer-reviewed articles published within the last decade from databases such as ScienceDirect and Google Scholar. Selected studies focused on infant massage interventions and their impact on breastfeeding duration, maternal oxytocin levels, infant behavior, and maternal-infant bonding. Results: The findings consistently show that infant massage contributes to prolonged breastfeeding by promoting infant relaxation, reducing maternal stress, and enhancing feeding interactions. Additionally, infant massage supports weight gain, improves sleep quality, and reduces symptoms of colic in infants. It also plays a role in reducing maternal postpartum depression. However, limitations such as small sample sizes and lack of longitudinal studies restrict the strength of the causal inference. Conclusion: Infant massage is a promising, low-cost intervention to support breastfeeding practices and maternal-infant health. Suggestions: Further high-quality, large-scale, and culturally diverse studies are needed to establish standardized protocols and explore the long-term impact of infant massage on breastfeeding duration and early childhood development. Keywords: Breastfeeding, infant massage, maternal bounding, postpartum stress, relaxation