A avó diante da amamentação do neto: um diálogo entre o passado e o presente

Abstract

Grandmothers can be a source of encouragement in the context of breastfeeding and are important characters in the nurse's social support network. They have a strong influence on child care practices, mainly involving breastfeeding and feeding. Thus, the general objective of the study was to understand the experience of the maternal grandmothers before the breastfeeding of their grandchildren. The specific objectives were: To identify the meanings attributed by the grandmothers to the breastfeeding of their grandchildren; To describe the experience of the grandmothers in the context of the breastfeeding of their grandchildren; To analyze the influences exercised by the grandparents in the breastfeeding of their grandchildren. This is a qualitative study, of a descriptive nature, performed through the semi-structured, recorded interview technique with nine maternal grandmothers. To capture the participants, the snowball sampling technique was used. Data collection occurred after approval of the Ethics and Research Committee of Maternity School under number of CAAE 59909516.0.0000.5275 and approval 094158/2016. The data were submitted to the content analysis, in the thematic-categorial modality. Three categories emerged: Recognizing the importance of breast milk and breastfeeding for the grandchild; Experiencing and participating in the breastfeeding of the grandchild; Reviving her own breastfeeding and reframing her. It was concluded that grandmothers, based on the best wishes for the grandchildren and their information on the benefits of breastfeeding, had positive influences of participation and motivation in the process of supporting the daughter-nurse, even in the face of previous negative experiences. A subjective dialogue between past and present marks the experience of the maternal grandmother, in her participation and in the desires she constructs for the breastfeeding of her grandchildren.