Implicações do contexto da pandemia da Covid-19 na prática do aleitamento materno na atenção básica: percepções das mulheres lactantes

Abstract

Breastfeeding is considered an important child survival strategy, which in addition to providing the most complete natural food, is also an opportunity to strengthen the mother-baby bond, which can be influenced by the personal, historical and sociocultural context of a woman's life. Considering the relevance of breastfeeding for the health of women and children, and given the pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus and its repercussions on the provision of health care in Primary Care, this study aimed to understand the implications of first year of the Covid-19 pandemic in the practice of breastfeeding in the scope of primary care, from the perception of lactating women. This is a descriptive, exploratory study, with a qualitative approach, in which semi-structured interviews were carried out with 24 women monitored at the Family Health Units of the Sanitary District III of the City of Recife-PE, who breastfed during the pandemic, between April and September 2020. The interviews were recorded and transcribed, and these data were later analyzed, interpreted and systematized by the content analysis technique proposed by Bardin, in the light of the Interactive Theory of Breastfeeding. The reports of this study contributed to evidence that the benefits of breastfeeding outweigh any potential risks of transmission of the virus, and that the success of this practice depends on adequate mother-child-environment interaction. The importance of breastfeeding in society is also highlighted, in the integral care of the health of women and children, regardless of the pandemic scenario, providing a greater reflection for the strengthening of a support network specialized in the pregnancy-puerperal cycle and in the practice of breastfeeding. breastfeeding, in order to encourage and help overcome the challenges experienced by them during the breastfeeding period.