Case Report: Midwifery Care for a 7-Month-Old Infant with Underweight at Independent Midwifery Practice SA Tanah Merah
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23490319Keywords:
Complementary therapy, Infant, Infant massage, Midwifery care, UnderweightAbstract
Introduction and Methods
Infancy is characterized by a rapid rate of physiological growth, making nutritional adequacy—both through breast milk and complementary feeding—crucial for achieving optimal growth and development. Substandard body weight based on the weight-for-age index (underweight) remains a public health issue in various countries. One non-pharmacological intervention that can be utilized to promote weight gain is infant massage stimulation. This case report aimed to describe comprehensive midwifery care for a 7-month-old infant with substandard body weight through the application of infant massage as a complementary therapy at Independent Midwifery Practice (TPMB) SA, Buddan Village, Tanah Merah Subdistrict, Bangkalan Regency. Care was delivered through three home visits to obtain subjective and objective data, formulate a diagnosis, develop a care plan, implement interventions, and evaluate care outcomes using SOAP documentation. The interventions included health education on age-appropriate breastfeeding and complementary feeding, alongside infant massage therapy conducted twice a week for 2 weeks with a duration of 10–15 minutes per session.
Results
Based on the evaluation at the third visit following the infant massage and nutritional education interventions, the infant's body weight increased from 5.2 kg to 6.1 kg. Body length remained at 61 cm, head circumference increased from 42 cm to 43 cm, and mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) increased from 13 cm to 14 cm. The evaluation demonstrated improved growth status characterized by positive anthropometric changes.
Conclusions and Recommendation
Comprehensive midwifery care combining nutritional education and complementary infant massage therapy helps improve weight gain in underweight infants. Periodic monitoring of growth and development is essential to ensure the infant's developmental trajectory remains optimal.
Contribution to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
This case report contributes to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically Goal 2 (Zero Hunger) regarding infant nutrition fulfillment and malnutrition prevention, and Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-being) in supporting optimal child health, growth, and development.
References
1. Ahmed SOM, Ashgar RI, Abdelgader AAM, Hamid HIA, Mathkor DM, Ali MAA, et al. Exclusive breastfeeding: Impact on infant health. Clinical Nutrition Open Science. 2023 Oct 1;51:44–51. doi:10.1016/j.nutos.2023.08.003
2. Garti H, Bukari M, Wemakor A. Early initiation of breastfeeding, bottle feeding, and experiencing feeding challenges are associated with malnutrition. Food Sci Nutr. 2023 Jun 12;11(9):5129–36. doi:10.1002/fsn3.3472 PubMed PMID: 37701229; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC10494642.
3. Crimmins MR, Sims CR, Williams DK, Andres A, Sobik S. Breastfeeding beyond infancy supports adequate growth, development, and nutritional intake. Pediatr Res. 2025 May 14;1–8. doi:10.1038/s41390-025-04111-z
4. Goldshtein I, Sadaka Y, Amit G, Kasir N, Bourgeron T, Warrier V, et al. Breastfeeding Duration and Child Development. JAMA Netw Open. 2025 Mar 24;8(3):e251540. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.1540
5. World Health Organization. Underweight among children under 5 years of age (number in millions) (JME) [Internet]. 2024 [cited 2024 Dec 19]. Available from: https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/gho-jme-underweight-numbers-(in-millions)
6. Badan Kebijakan Pembangunan Kesehatan. Survei Kesehatan Indonesia (SKI) 2023 Dalam Angka. Kementerian Kesehatan; 2023.
7. World Health Organization. Malnutrition in children [Internet]. 2026 [cited 2026 Oct 20]. Available from: https://www.who.int/data/nutrition/nlis/info/malnutrition-in-children
8. Wulandari N, Margawati A, Rahfiludin Z. The implementation of nutrition improvement programs for underweight children, wasting and stunting in the Department of Health, Central Buton district, Southeast Sulawesi. Jurnal Gizi Indonesia (The Indonesian Journal of Nutrition). 2021 Jun 30;9(2):86–96.
9. Chaturvedi S, Raven J, Patwardhan B. Addressing child under nutrition: can traditional practices offer a solution? Glob Health Action. 2017 Jun 7;10(1):1327255. doi:10.1080/16549716.2017.1327255 PubMed PMID: 28590840; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5496070.
10. Wang Y, Yao J, Xiao Y, Ma Q, Tao S. Efficacy of personalized traditional Chinese medicine massage combined with tuina in the treatment of pediatric congenital heart disease and malnutrition intolerance. Pak J Med Sci. 2026 Apr;42(4):991–6. doi:10.12669/pjms.42.4.14839 PubMed PMID: 42257080; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC13238224.
11. Neli W, A Latif FL, Rompas H, Putri AH, Muhammad Firman LO. Indonesian Mothers’ Perception About the Children Nutritional Status and Its Related Factors. Public Health of Indonesia. 2021. doi:10.36685/phi.v7i3.440
12. Puspasari N, Andriani M. Hubungan Pengetahuan Ibu tentang Gizi dan Asupan Makan Balita dengan Status Gizi Balita (BB/U) Usia 12-24 Bulan. Amerta Nutrition. 2017 Dec 27;1(4):4. doi:10.20473/amnt.v1i4.2017.369-378
13. Cusick SE, Georgieff MK. The Role of Nutrition in Brain Development: The Golden Opportunity of the “First 1000 Days.” The Journal of Pediatrics. 2016 Aug 1;175:16–21. doi:10.1016/j.jpeds.2016.05.013
14. Chen SC, Lin SL, Wang M, Cheung DST, Liang JG, Cheng ZY, et al. Pediatric massage therapy in infants and children under 5 years: An umbrella review of systematic reviews. Heliyon. 2024 Aug 30;10(16):e35993. doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e35993
15. Kulkarni A, Kaushik JS, Gupta P, Sharma H, Agrawal RK. Massage and touch therapy in neonates: The current evidence. Indian Pediatr. 2010 Sep 1;47(9):771–6. doi:10.1007/s13312-010-0114-2
Downloads
Published
Data Availability Statement
Not available.
Issue
Section
Categories
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Ain Rositahur Amalia Putri, Suryaningsih Suryaningsih, Rodiyantun Rodiyantun, Deasy Irawati
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted regarding intellectual property.
