Abstract

MACIEL, Aline Ferreira  and  VERISSIMO, Maria de La Ó Ramallo. Knowledge and pratices in breastfeeding promotion by workers of a child day care center. Rev. bras. crescimento desenvolv. hum. [online]. 2010, vol.20, n.3, pp. 688-698. ISSN 0104-1282.

Since breastfeeding is a behaviour which can be influenced by environmental and personal factors, this study aimed to characterize the workers' knowledge and practices of a Child Day Care Center regarding to this action. Ten professionals of a Child Center (CC) who worked from 2003 to 2007 caring for infants under one year old were interviewed. The results were organized in four themes. The first one, The Importance of Breastfeeding at the Day Care Center, highlights its relation to the infant's development, to the adaptation of the children to CC and to child's connection to mother. Probably those are empirical knowledge, which come from the daily practice or the media. When they are reinforced to the mothers at the child's enrollment and during other contacts they can impact on keeping or not breastfeeding. The theme Breastfeeding depends on the mother's interest points out that mothers often give up breastfeeding and that decision comes from lack of persistence in overcoming difficulties related to work, once their access to CC for breastfeeding is free. Regarding to Easiness Related to Breastfeeding at the Day Care Center, it is emphasized the support offered by the facility, the legal guarantee to breastfeeding and the practices of the workers to reinforce the importance of breastfeeding to the mothers. The Difficulties Related to Breastfeeding at the Day Care Center comprise the distance between workplace and the CC, as well the dependence of the workers to waiting the mother for breastfeeding. The development of a breastfeeding support network with healthcare facilities would strengthen the CC workers regarding to the benefits of breastfeeding and to the action strategies to promote this practice.

Keywords : Breastfeeding; day care centers; child instruction.

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