Avaliação do aleitamento materno exclusivo entre mães adoloescentes atendidas em uma maternidade pública do Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

When a pregnancy appears in adolescence, stages of development are anticipated, requiring rapid adaptation to new reality: the girl who must learn to be a mother before learned to be a woman. The pregnant adolescents seen at the Maternidade Escola da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro - UFRJ, participate in educational activities during the prenatal, where breastfeeding is protected, supported and encouraged. The duration of exclusive breastfeeding is an important indicator to observe the impact of educational activities. This retrospective study was conducted at the outpatient clinic of the Maternidade Escola da UFRJ. The sample consisted of 38 adolescent mothers, of which 71% (n = 27), were aged less than 17 years, and the remaining 29% (n = 11) were older than 17 years. The rate of exclusive breastfeeding until 6 months identified in the study was about 15.8%. The average duration of exclusive breastfeeding among adolescents who comprised the sample, was 4.6 months. Up to 4 months, 31.6% of mothers continued exclusive breastfeeding, and from that period, some variants appear to have acted negatively on the exclusivity of breastfeeding. The results can not be regarded as conclusive, since the sample was small, making it necessary to conduct larger studies.