Back ground: Nipple trauma associated with breast feeding is common during lactation,
with an incidence ranging from 34% to 96% and remains the major reason for failing to
establish breastfeeding. Aim of the study: was to determine the effect of peppermint
water in the prevention of nipple trauma during breastfeeding. Subjects and methods:
Research design: A Quasi-experimental design. Setting: study was carried out at
postnatal department of Zagazig University Hospitals .Subject: One hundred primiparous
breastfeeding women were assigned randomly to two groups. Each group (50 women)
applied only one of the above preparations on both breasts for 14 days. The rate of nipple
trauma and areola crack and pain was evaluated together with the change in women
knowledge and practice. Tools of data collection: A structured interview sheet,
Evaluation check list to assess women's practices related to breastfeeding, Visual
Analogue Scale, The Nipple Trauma Score and nipple soreness scale. Results: Vast
majority of the subjects in peppermint water group and group of expressed breast milk had
wrong or incomplete knowledge about breast feeding on the first day. More than two thirds
of women in peppermint water group and group of expressed breast milk felt no pain in
their breasts or nipple at the 7th day. However by the 14th day, women in group 1
(peppermint water) had significantly experience mild and moderate pain and less severe
pain compared to group of expressed breast milk .Conclusion: peppermint water is
effective in the prevention of nipple trauma and less nipple pain compared to the
application of express breast milk. Recommendations: Further studies are recommended
to gain more insight into the effectiveness of peppermint water.