The Effectiveness of Papaya in Increasing Breast Milk Production in Breastfeeding Mothers at the Maelang Community Health Center
Keywords:
Breast Milk Production, Breastfeeding Mothers, Exclusive Breastfeeding, Galactagogue, PapayaAbstract
Suboptimal breast milk production remains one of the obstacles to successful exclusive breastfeeding. Various efforts have been made to increase breast milk production, one of which is through the use of papaya as a readily available and nutrient-rich natural galactagogue. This study aimed to analyze the effectiveness of papaya consumption on increasing breast milk production among breastfeeding mothers at the Maelang Community Health Center. The study used a pre-experimental design with a one-group pretest–posttest approach. The sample consisted of 30 breastfeeding mothers selected using total sampling. Breast milk production was assessed based on breast milk volume, breastfeeding frequency, breastfeeding duration, and the infant’s urination frequency before and after papaya consumption over a seven-day period. Data analysis was performed using the Wilcoxon test with a significance level of p < 0.05. The results showed that the average breast milk volume increased from 163.00 mL to 310.00 mL after the intervention, accompanied by an increase in breastfeeding frequency and duration as well as the frequency of the infants’ urination. The Wilcoxon test indicated a significant effect of papaya administration on increased breast milk production (p=0.000). It was concluded that papaya is effective as a complementary therapy based on local food to increase breast milk production in breastfeeding mothers. The use of papaya can be considered as part of midwifery education and services to support the success of exclusive breastfeeding programs.
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