Determination of knowledge about breastfeeding in postpartum women hospitalized at the Hospital Zonal General Agudos Dr. A. Balestrini, Ciudad Evita, La Matanza

Abstract

Introduction: the superiority of breast milk (BM) over any other food in the first six months of life has already been well demonstrated through numerous scientific studies. It is important to research and inquire about the degree of prior knowledge that mothers have in order to define approaches for future interventions. Objective: to determine the level of knowledge about breastfeeding among postpartum mothers in the maternity ward of the H.Z.G.A. Dr. A. Balestrini, Ciudad Evita, province of Buenos Aires.
Materials and method: observational, descriptive and cross-sectional study, carried out between February and May 2021. Knowledge about BF was estimated to 134 puerperal women, who were hospitalized in the maternity ward, through a structured interview conducted at the bedside by graduates in Nutrition.
Results: the mean age was 25,8 (SD±5.5) years. The average number of children was 2.3. More than 80% recognized the benefits of BF for the newborns. However, only 35.8% recognized the benefits of BF for the mother. 48.5% answered that there were no risks for the newborn with respect to cow’s milk consumption (CM). The most prevalent popular beliefs were “pain during breastfeeding is normal” and “I ran out of milk”. 
Conclusion: it was evidenced that the exclusivity of BM up to 6 months and its continuation up to two years were recognized. On the other hand, it was observed that women identified the benefits granted by BM to the baby and its superiority over CM. However, this didn’t happen with the benefits of BM for postpartum women and the risk of using CM in the newborn.