The Effect of Lavender Aromatherapy on Fatigue Reduction in Postpartum Mothers at the Puskesmas Ibu, Halbar Regency⁠

Abstract

Background: Thel postpartum periodl is al recovery phase involving lphysical and psychologicall changes, during which mothersl often experience fatigue due to increased cortisol levels. Excessive fatigue can interfere with the breastfeeding process and reduce motivation for exclusive breastfeeding. Lavender aromatherapyl is al non-pharmacologicall therapy containing linalool with sedative effects to provide relaxation and reduce fatigue levels. lObjective: This studyl aimed tol determine thel effect ofl lavender aromatherapy onl reducing fatigue in postpartuml mothers atl Puskesmas Ibu, West Halmahera Regency. Methods: Thisl study was al Pre-Experimentall study withl a Onel Group lPretest-Posttest lDesign. The studyl population consisted of lall postpartum mothersl at Puskesmas Ibu, with a total sampling technique of 30 respondents. The research instrument used anl observation lsheet, and ldata analysis wasl performed usingl the Paired Sample T-Testl (α = 0.05). Results: The majorityl of lrespondents' characteristics were inl the agel range of 20-35 yearsl (76.7%), had Senior High School education (60%), were unemployed/housewives (70%), and were primiparous (60%). The resultsl of thel Paired Samplel T-Testl showed al mean fatigue score before the intervention of 27.33, which decreased to 11.50 after the intervention (mean difference 15.833) with a lp-value = l0.000. lConclusion: There isl al significant effectl ofl lavender aromatherapyl administration on reducing fatigue lin postpartum lmothers at Puskesmas Ibu, Halbar Regency. Lavender aromatherapy is effective as a complementary therapy to aid postpartum maternal recovery.