Duration and frequency of medical appointments and their influence on breastfeeding time in a basic health unit

Abstract

Introduction: The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding until six months and complementary feeding until two years or beyond. The longer the breastfeeding lasts, the lower the risk of obesity and infections is. Objective: To describe the exclusive and mixed breastfeeding rate of a population in a health care unit, as well as the facts of weaning; and to compare exclusive breastfeeding and total feeding time among children that were attended by local professionals and medicine students. Methods: Retrospective study reviewing 610 medical records of children born between January 2010 and December 2013, monitored by the unit. Results: The average time of exclusive breastfeeding was 117 days; and of mixed feeding 246 days. The prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding in the first month was 82,3%, higher than in the Brazilian southeast region, with associated facts of early weaning: caesarean birth, low-milk production, and type of professional care. Conclusion: It was observed exclusive and total breastfeeding time beyond the national and international average for this population, especially on the academic care, in which patients have more time of appointment and highest possibility of revaluation during the first month of life. The inclusion of patients with complete records and, therefore, the exclusion of those whose records were inadequate may have caused the oversizing of those rates, because it is unknown if those without adequate records were or were not properly oriented about breastfeeding.