[Exclusive breastfeeding among working women with free daycare available at workplace].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate factors related to the decision of exclusive breastfeeding, and the planned and the actual duration among working women with free daycare available at workplace.


METHODS
A qualitative study was conducted comparing a group of 15 women exclusively breastfeeding their babies with a similar group of women whose babies were already being fed with other food besides maternal milk at the time they started attending a daycare center. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were carried out for data collection.


RESULTS
The factors related to the decision of breastfeeding and maintaining it when women went back to work were: the desire to breastfeed based on the importance women of both groups as well as their husbands and significant others attributed to it. The duration of exclusive breastfeeding was mainly associated to the baby's pediatrician counseling, which differed in each group.


CONCLUSIONS
The availability of free daycare center at the work place seems an important aspect to breastfeeding maintenance after women go back to work, especially regarding exclusive breastfeeding. The duration of exclusive breastfeeding was related to the information received before and during pregnancy, and also in the postpartum. Women who have exclusively breastfed for almost six months believed the longer they breastfeed the better to their babies' health, while other women believed that three months of exclusive breastfeeding would be enough.
Osis
Maria José Duarte
MJ
Centro de Pesquisas Materno-Infantis de Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brasil. mjosis@cemicamp.org.br
Duarte
Graciana Alves
GA
Pádua
Karla Simônia de
KS
Hardy
Ellen
E
Sandoval
Lucila E Moreira
LE
Bento
Silvana Ferreira
SF
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000523:psychology*; D002656:Child Day Care Centers; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D011247:Pregnancy; D013997:Time Factors; D014931:Women, Working