Rede de apoio e expectativas maternas para o aleitamento

Abstract

Breast milk is a natural food responsible for providing all the nutrients necessary for the infant's healthy growth and development, directly impacting the reduction of infant morbidity and mortality. It is essential to encourage breastfeeding (BF), especially during prenatal consultations. This work aims to identify the factors that influence the practice of breastfeeding in the view of the puerperal woman. Qualitative study, of the life narrative type, with 30 postpartum women from the Professor Alberto Antunes University Hospital, during November and December 2019. Project approved by the Ethics and Research Committee of the Federal University of Alagoas, opinion No. 3,692,373 and CAAE 19386019.6. 0000.5013. Data collection through interview with semi-structured script and analysis through the operational proposal of thematic analysis of Minayo, where 4 categories emerged: influences of pregnancy planning and support network; influences of prenatal care and professionals on breastfeeding; maternal expectations and knowledge about breastfeeding; the importance of breastfeeding under the maternal view. The results showed that most of the participants were over 24 years of age and the stable union was the most prevalent marital status. As for the level of education, complete high school covered most of the participants. Caesarean section was the type of delivery that stood out the most. Regarding the obstetric history, most of the interviewees had three or more pregnancies. The beginning of prenatal care occurred in the first trimester for most participants. The age group, education level, marital status, primiparity and follow-up through prenatal consultations are factors that can interfere, mainly, in the continuity of BF. All participants said they received family support. Most pregnancies were not planned. As for prenatal care, 20 puerperal women claimed to have been accompanied by the nurse, however, only 13 received guidance about BF during consultations. The difficulties of breastfeeding were mentioned by 23 of the interviewees, being the main nipple pain and breast engorgement. 29 of the participants considered BF to be important, especially for the child's health and disease prevention. Only 7 intend to breastfeed until the age of two, and 12 mentioned that only breast milk is sufficient up to 6 months. There was no relationship between pregnancy planning, type of delivery and continuity of BF. Regarding maternal knowledge, BF was considered important for all participants. Maternal lack of knowledge about EBF was found up to six months. The nurse was the professional who accompanied most of the sample during prenatal care, but there was a shortage in relation to the guidelines about BF. In this context, this study leaves as a contribution the certainty that, the nurse of the prenatal care in integration with the other professionals of this scope can be agents of change, gradually modifying the maternal knowledge about BF and the consequent continuity of this practice.