Trial reportPediatric research2025
Lactation-focused audio relaxation versus standard care for mothers of very preterm infants (the EXPRESS randomised clinical trial).
Trial report in Pediatric research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- We should do better in accounting for multiple births in neonatal randomised trials: a methodological systematic review.Archives of disease in childhood. Fetal and neonatal edition · 2025Pooled it
- Effects of postpartum hand expression on milk volume and breastfeeding outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol.BMJ open · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundMothers of very premature newborns often have low milk supply. Systematic review has shown increased milk quantity with relaxation interventions. We hypothesised that a self-directed audio relaxation and lactation-specific visualisation would increase milk quantity after a very premature birth.
methodsUnmasked, randomised, controlled trial, recruiting 132 participants in four United Kingdom neonatal units. Eligible women had given birth to one or two infants between 23+0 and 31+6 weeks of gestation. The intervention was a 12-min voice recording including breathing exercises, muscle relaxation and lactation-specific visualisation. Primary outcome was the highest 24-h breastmilk weight expressed on any of day 4, day 14 or day 21 after birth.
resultsMean birth gestation was 27.8 weeks (SD 2.4), with 26% of participants giving birth under 26 weeks (34/132). Adjusted mean difference in primary outcome was 73.9 g (95% CI -61.7 to 209.5, p = 0.28). Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Index adjusted mean difference was -1.9 (-8.2 to 4.3, p = 0.54). The majority of relaxation group participants felt the intervention was relaxing (32/42, 76%).
conclusionsThere was no beneficial effect of this relaxation intervention on milk quantity. Mothers of very premature infants may value relaxation interventions but they are unlikely to have a large effect on milk quantity. IMPACT: This randomised trial did not show a beneficial effect of a self-directed audio relaxation and visualisation on mothers' own milk quantity expressed after very preterm birth. Mothers of very and extremely preterm infants may value relaxation interventions, but they are unlikely to have a large effect on milk quantity. Prior systematic review of mixed populations has shown an increase in mothers' own milk quantity with relaxation interventions. Combining this study with existing meta-analysis could result in a new hypothesis that the lower the gestation at birth, the smaller the impact of relaxation on milk quantity.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.