REASONS ALLEGED BY PUERPERAL WOMEN TO SEEK CARE IN A HUMAN MILK BANK OF A UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL

• Published in: Annals of nutrition and metabolism 2017-10, Vol.71 (Suppl. 2), p.843
• Main Authors: Teixeira, Karla Thais Resende, Accioly, Elizabeth, Lopes, Fernanda de Oliveira, dos Santos, Talita Azevedo, Moreira, Laís de Souza Gouveia
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adults; Babies; Breast feeding; Breast milk; Breastfeeding & lactation; Childbirth & labor; Demographics; Gestational age; Guidelines; Milk; Newborn babies; Nipples; Nutrition; Pain; Pediatrics; Pregnancy; Sociodemographics; Women; Womens health
• ISSN: 0250-6807; 1421-9697
• DOI: 10.1159/000480486

Background and objectives: There are many reasons that make breastfeeding difficult. Within this context, it becomes relevant to know the reasons that lead women to seek help in human milk banks (BLH). The objective of the study was to describe the main reasons of women seeking care at the Human Milk Bank of a University Hospital in the city of Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro state, also describing the characteristics of these women and their babies. Methods: This is a retrospective study, based on data from service forms, in the year 2015. The data were extracted from the institution's BLH service forms, applied to women who sought care in that sector, in the year 2015. To assess the profile of the women were collected socio-demographic, gestational, lifestyle, type of Childbirth, history of current breastfeeding, use of artificial nipples, breast exams, the reason for the demand for the milk bank and the main complaint of these women and the conduct adopted by the Multiprofessional team of the human milk bank. Data were also collected from the newborn. For the evaluation of weight and gestational age at birth, the cutoff points of the Brazilian Society of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization were used. Results: The majority of the study participants corresponded to adults, residents of the city of Niteroi. Difficulty in breast-feeding was the motive most alleged by women who sought BLH, followed by breastfeeding pain. The majority started prenatal care in the first trimester (78.4%), but it was observed a low frequency of guidelines on breastfeeding during that period. The most prevalent type of delivery was the surgical one (81.1%), 38.5% offered artificial formulas for their babies, and of these 72% reported difficulties in relation to breastfeeding. Conclusions: The main reasons that motivated the search for BLH were related to difficulties with breastfeeding, which could be avoided or at least minimized, with guidelines to support and promote breastfeeding even during prenatal care and in the Which emphasizes the role of the multiprofessional health team in the attention to women in the pregnancy-puerperal cycle.