Nursing Care in Obstetrics and Breastfeeding Practices in Gestational Diabetic Mothers in China: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Background: Despite the fact that nursing care and breastfeeding practices are among the most important aspects of effective GDM management, the impact of these practices is still underexplored. We aimed to assess the effectiveness of obstetric nursing care and the impact on the outcomes of breastfeeding among gestational diabetes mothers.

Methods: A total of 522 records were found after conducting exhaustive searches in the databases of PubMed, Web of Knowledge, and the Cochrane Library. After eliminating duplicates and screening criteria, there were five studies with 3180 participants, 1377 of whom were experimental and 1803 of whom were control. The effects of nursing interventions on body mass index (BMI), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), and HbA1c levels, subgroup analyses were carried out.

Results: Individual studies suggested benefits in breastfeeding practices, but the study found no significant difference between the nursing and control groups (0.27, 95% CI: 0.05–1.57, P = 0.14). Studies showed that general care worked best for mothers with normal body mass indexes yet mothers with hyperglycemia needed more specific treatments. The findings demonstrate the necessity to interpret results with caution because they appeared affected by heterogeneity along with publication bias.

Conclusion: The nursing interventions which support breastfeeding practices and glycemic management perform best when they target mothers with gestational diabetes by monitoring their body mass index and blood glucose levels. Future research needs to accomplish a clear confirmation of these results involving HbA1c and FPG metrics because of their ambiguous nature.