Descanso postnatal parental: Experiencia en lactancia materna de madres trabajadoras usuarias del sistema público de salud en la Región de la Araucanía, de Chile

Abstract

The prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding up to the sixth month of age does not exceed 60% in Chile, despite the enactment in 2011 of the Parental Leave Law, which entitles mothers to stay with the newborn up to the twenty-fourth week of life. Given the above, the aim of this study was to explore, from mothers’ perspective, which are the aspects involved on the length of the Exclusive Breastfeeding Period. Subjects and method: Qualitative Exploration using a grounded theory approach. Semi-structured interviews and five focus groups were conducted with 35 and 30 participants respectively; therefore a total of 65 working mothers took part in the study. Inductive content analysis was performed using atlas ti-6.2 software package. Validity criteria included triangulation by research and by technique. Results: The elements identified as encouraging breastfeeding are the length of maternal leave and the support of the couple, family and health professionals. Those representing barriers were the presence of breastfeeding-induced pain and early weaning decision, which might be influenced by family or health professionals. Conclusions: Given the strong dependence of factors such as partner and family on breastfeeding maintenance, it is suggested that the involved health professionals shall consider these aspects in promotion.