Lactation Counseling in the Intensive Care Unity - an exploratory study

Abstract

Problem: The mother of the premature infant (extermely low birth weight infant) lives situations and different needs in the breast-feeding at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). These situations complicate the readiness and desire of breastfeeding what can lead to abandon of the maternal breast feeding during the permanence of the premature in NICU. Objective: To draw the mothers' demographic profile in NICU and to identify which the factors can lead to an ineffective breast-feeding. Material and method: It is an exploratory study, accomplished at a NICU in a Public Hospital of Rio de Janeiro, in the period of May/August of 2005. Results: 30 mothers were included in the sample. We evidenced that the causes of the it weans precocious they rotate in lathe myths, taboos, experiences well and badly happened, age maternal related to the first gestation, inexperiences with the breast-feeding, level economic social, lack of orientations and interventions that so much reinforced as they harmed the breast-feeding. The family was shown important tool of interference on the breast-feeding. Conclusions: The mothers were at risk of Breastfeeding infective or interrupted. The nursing treatement is Lactation Counseling to the mother as to the family which is included in the activities with the purpose of promoting breastfeeding exclusive.