THE EFFECT OF REIKI ON BREASTFEEDING, PAIN AND COMFORT AFTER CESAREAN SECTION

NCT07447609 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: GOKAEK 2025/24/20
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 99
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

EFFECT OF REİKİ APPLİED DURİNG THE POSTPARTUM PERİOD ON BREASTFEEDİNG, PAİN, AND COMFORT IN WOMEN WHO DELİVERED BY CESAREAN SECTİON The aim of this randomized controlled trial is to determine the effect of Reiki applied to volunteer women after cesarean section on breastfeeding, pain, and comfort in the postpartum period. The main questions it aims to answer are: Is there a difference in postpartum breastfeeding, pain, and comfort between the group receiving Reiki and the group receiving standard care? Is there a difference in postpartum breastfeeding, pain, and comfort between the group receiving Reiki and the group receiving Sham Reiki? Participants will receive Reiki six times postpartum: three times one-on-one during their hospital stay, and remotely in the second, third, and fourth weeks. The control group will receive standard care. The Sham Reiki group will receive Reiki points applied by a person without Reiki knowledge.

Conditions

Postpartum Comfort; Postpartum Care; Cesarean Section Pain; Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy; Perceived Insufficient Milk Supply; Reiki; Reiki Therapy; Postpartum Pain

Keywords

Cesarean section, postpartum care, Reiki, breastfeeding, pain, comfort

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• In women who have had a cesarean section, Reiki applied at six separate times during the postpartum period affects their self-efficacy in breastfeeding.

  Postpartum Reiki therapy has not been used to study breastfeeding self-efficacy in women who have had cesarean sections. The literature includes studies where Reiki therapy was applied to third-trimester pregnant women and breastfeeding self-efficacy was evaluated. Breastfeeding self-efficacy has been assessed after both cesarean and vaginal deliveries, but there are no studies using Reiki as an intervention. In this sense, the effect of Reiki on breastfeeding parameters is intriguing. Breastfeeding self-efficacy will be measured using the Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale - Short Form (BSES-SF). The Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale, originally developed by Dennis and Faux in 1999, is a 33-item scale designed to assess breastfeeding self-efficacy levels. Following internal consistency testing, items with item-total correlations below 0.60 were removed, resulting in a shortened form of the new 14-item Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale. The Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient of

  Women who have had a cesarean section will be assessed using a breastfeeding self-efficacy scale through face-to-face meetings on the first and second postoperative days, and by telephone during the fourth week.

Study Arms (3)

reiki therapy

EXPERIMENTAL

Intervention (Reiki Procedure) * Duration: 16 min per session. * Position: Mother semi-sitting/comfortable; wound area protected; baby not in lap. • Areas/hands: * Head (including crown and ears) 4 min, * Upper body (one hand on the throat, one hand on the heart) 4 min, * Solar plexus/abdominal area (without direct pressure on the wound line) 2 min, * Sacral 2 min, * Root 4 min, * Total: Minimum 16 min, maximum 20 min * Contact is gentle/non-contact. • Environment: Quiet, private, phone/sound alerts off; comfortable room temperature. * Practitioner: One person, Reiki Level II, standard trained, applies the same protocol. Caution: BP ≥160/110, pulse \>120, SpO₂ \<92%, fever ≥38°C, dizziness, syncope, severe pain increase → session is postponed/terminated, clinical evaluation is performed. In distance Reiki practice, the Reiki practitioner will send Reiki to the participant by visualizing them using their Level 2 Reiki knowledge.

Other: reiki

sham reiki

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

Reiki is a complementary therapy that originated in Japan and is increasingly offered in mainstream healthcare. It involves a trained practitioner gently placing their hands on or just above the recipient's body to activate the energy in the existing biological field within the body, restoring "energetic balance" and supporting the body's natural healing processes. Sham reiki, on the other hand, is a practice that mimics reiki but is performed by a healthcare professional who does not have a reiki certification. Intervention Procedure * Duration: 17-20 min per session. • Position: Mother in a semi-sitting/comfortable position; wound area protected; baby not in her lap. • Areas/Hands: * Head (including crown and ears) 3 min, * Upper body (one hand on the throat, one hand on the heart) 4 min, * Solar plexus/abdominal area (without direct pressure on the wound line) 3 min, * Sacral 3 min, * Root 4 min, * Total: Minimum 17 min, maximum 20 min * Contact is gentle/non-contact.

Other: sham reiki

control group

NO INTERVENTION

Routine postpartum care • Measurements at the same time points: * Vital signs, VAS, LATCH (0-4 s, 6-12 s, 24 s) * Pre-discharge: BSES-SF, Perceived Insufficient Milk Supply, PPCQ * Post-discharge: Perceived Insufficient Milk Supply

Interventions

reiki OTHER

The effect of Reiki practice on breastfeeding during the postpartum period has not been evaluated; it is considered unique because it is evaluated together with its effect on pain and comfort, and offers a holistic approach to support care for women in the postpartum period.

Also known as: sham reiki

reiki therapy

sham reiki OTHER

It is believed that adding a sham reiki group alongside postpartum reiki treatment will increase the reliability and originality of the study.

sham reiki

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 45 Years
• Sex: female
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Mothers aged 18 and over,
• Literate in Turkish,
• Non-smoker, non-drug user,
• Gave birth by cesarean section at term,
• Baby with them after birth,
• Not using any breast milk-increasing medication, vitamins, or supplements,
• Baby's birth weight between 2500-4000 grams,
• Baby's Apgar score at least seven points at 1 and 5 minutes,
• Having had a cesarean section under spinal anesthesia,
• Those who agree to participate in the study.

You may not qualify if:

• Preeclampsia/eclampsia, active postpartum hemorrhage, sepsis/fever ≥38°C,
• Need for intensive care,
• Birth before 37 weeks,
• Serious neonatal problems,
• Baby arriving at the ward after mother (follow-up in neonatal intensive care unit without hospitalization after birth),
• Excessive sedation due to analgesia,
• Communication difficulties,
• Markedly negative attitude towards Reiki.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Saglik Bilimleri Universitesi: lead

Study Sites (1)

Samsun Sehir Hastanesi

Samsun, Turkey (Türkiye)

RECRUITING

Related Links

• Complementary therapies for chronic knee pain: A placebo-controlled RCT of Reiki and mindfulness
• Related Info

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Breast Feeding; Pain

Interventions

Therapeutic Touch

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Feeding Behavior; Behavior; Neurologic Manifestations; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Mind-Body Therapies; Complementary Therapies; Therapeutics; Spiritual Therapies

Study Officials

• Gulten Guvenc, prof. dr.

  sağlık bilimleri university Faculty of Nursing

  STUDY DIRECTOR

Central Study Contacts

Gozde G Cakmak, specialist nurse, phd student

CONTACT

+905553603460; gzdnzm@gmail.com

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: randomized controlled trial

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: January 19, 2026
• First Posted: March 3, 2026
• Study Start: January 15, 2025
• Primary Completion: May 20, 2026
• Study Completion: May 20, 2026
• Last Updated: March 3, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-01

Locations

TU (1)