THE EFFECT OF EARLY MOBILIZATION AND DEEP BREATHING RELAXATION TECHNIQUES ON THE INTENSITY OF WOUND PAIN IN PATIENTS AFTER A CESAREAN SECTION AT RIKA AMELIA WOMEN’S AND CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL IN PALEMBANG

Abstract

The rate of cesarean section (CS) deliveries continues to increase, leading to greater needs for postoperative recovery care, including wound pain control. Poorly controlled pain may inhibit mobilization, breastfeeding, infant care, and recovery. Early mobilization and deep-breathing relaxation are simple, low-cost non-pharmacological interventions that can complement analgesic therapy. The novelty of this study lies in the standardized comparison of these two interventions in a maternal and child hospital with a high CS rate in Palembang, using a homogeneous analgesic regimen and identical pretest-posttest procedures. Objective: To determine the effects and comparative effectiveness of early mobilization and deep-breathing relaxation on wound pain intensity among post-CS patients at RSIA Rika Amelia Palembang in 2025. Methods: This quantitative study used a quasi-experimental nonequivalent two-group pretest-posttest design. Thirty-two eligible post-CS mothers were allocated equally into an early mobilization group (n=16) and a deep-breathing relaxation group (n=16). All respondents received the same standard analgesic regimen according to medical records. Pain intensity was assessed using the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) before the intervention and after two days of intervention. Data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon test for within-group changes and the Mann-Whitney U test to compare pain reduction between groups. Results: Mean pain intensity in the early mobilization group decreased from 7.81±0.83 to 5.00±0.89 (p<0.001). In the deep-breathing relaxation group, mean pain intensity decreased from 8.06±0.77 to 6.56±0.72 (p<0.001). Pain reduction was greater in the early mobilization group than in the deep-breathing relaxation group (2.81 vs 1.50; p=0.002). Conclusion: Both interventions reduced post-CS wound pain, but early mobilization demonstrated greater effectiveness. The findings should be interpreted cautiously due to the small sample size and non-random allocation; nevertheless, they support the strengthening of standardized non-pharmacological pain management protocols after CS