Apoio paterno para o incentivo da prática do aleitamento materno : Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde, 2019

Abstract

Introduction: Breast milk is considered the best form of nutrition for children up to 6 months of age. Furthermore, the practice of breastfeeding should not be understood exclusively in terms of mother-child binomial but rather in its entirety, including the family support network. Therefore, the present study contributes to the collection of information about the difficulties encountered in the practice of exclusive breastfeeding and also the importance of paternal support to support and encourage this practice. Methods: Cross-sectional, population-based study, using secondary data of the National Health Survey (PNS) carried out in 2019, in Brazil, which is a household-based survey, nationwide, carried out by the Ministry of Health, coordinated by Fiocruz in partnership with the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) in 2013 and 2019. Results: In 2019, 90.846 people participated in the PNS, 47,05% (95%CI: 52.35 - 53.55) for women. Comparing the distributions by age group, there is greater participation in the survey of individuals aged 25 to 40, accounting for 50,84% of respondents. Regarding social support during the birth period, 84,19% of interviewees reported that they had company at that time and 53,27% that this companion was the child's father. Regarding paternal insertion during prenatal care, 78,84% of the fathers interviewed reported that they were not encouraged to participate in lectures, conversation circles, courses and others about baby care. However, 80,52% of the parents interviewed reported that they attended or attended prenatal care for the current pregnancy or the pregnancy of their last child. Conclusion: Breast milk is the most complete and healthy food a baby can receive. However, in order to achieve this, the mother faces some challenges that are related to the anatomy of her body, concerns about returning to work, among others. In the midst of so many issues, it is extremely important that the breastfeeding woman has support to be able to start and continue breastfeeding. In this way, this support from the father or partner of the breastfeeding woman becomes the main axis for encouraging and supporting breastfeeding, which brings benefits not only to the baby but also to the mother.