Aims and Objectives To evaluate the effectiveness of cold application methods in reducing postpartum episiotomy pain. Background Many women suffer from pain after giving birth due to an episiotomy. This prolonged pain affects their daily lives as they recover. Various methods can help alleviate this pain; however, the effects of cold application specifically are still under discussion. Design Systematic review and meta‐analysis were used. Methods In this review, we investigated studies from the CINAHL, PubMed, Google Scholar and Science Direct databases that met PICOS inclusion criteria. We also assessed the studies' methodological quality with the JADAD and JBI checklists. This study was performed based on the Guidelines of Systematic Reporting of Examination presented in the PRISMA checklist (Appendix S1). The search protocol has been registered at the PROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews. Results A total of seven published studies including 700 total participants were included in this review. Various cold application methods (cold gel pack/pad, crushed ice gel pad, ice pack) significantly reduced the pain after an episiotomy. Ice packs in particular did not significantly differ from lavender oil and acupressure in reducing pain after an episiotomy. Conclusions Cold application methods can be an effective, non‐pharmacological midwifery and nursing intervention to reduce pain after an episiotomy. Relevance to clinical practice The use of cold application methods to reduce pain after episiotomy may reduce the need for pharmacological medication in women due to the reduction in pain in the perineum.

Objective: This study aims to determine the effect of kangaroo mother care applied to the healthy newborns in the early postpartum period on breastfeeding. Methods:  Our research was conducted over the period June 1 - August 25, 2016 at the obstetrics and maternity units in Istanbul. A of 112 healthy newborns and their mothers (56 in the study group and 56 in the control group) were recruited into a randomized controlled experimental study. The newborns in the study group were administered kangaroo mother care for 3 hours after birth while the control group of newborns was cared for using the unit’s standard postpartum procedures. The time the newborns in the study and control groups first started to breastfeed, the number of breastfeeding within the first 24 hours, the duration of their breastfeeding and suckling skills were evaluated. Results:  It was found that newborns subjected to kangaroo mother care provided immediately after delivery started suckling at the breast sooner (P = .001), for a longer period (P = .001) and more frequently (P = .001) than the newborns provided with standard post-delivery care. While there was no difference between the groups in terms of initial suckling skills (P = .862), the newborns in the kangaroo mother care group were better at suckling in the 24th hour (P = .001). Continuous...