Breastfeeding in Women Who Work Outside the Home: An Analysis based on Workers at the 1° de Maio Health Center, Northern Mozambique, 2019

Dario Vicente Macario | Cecilia Boaventura | Telma Conceicao Basilio

Abstract: Introduction: Reconciling work outside the home and breastfeeding is a difficult process that depends not only on the work the woman does, but on the relationships she establishes with colleagues and with the employer, so that this research was elaborated aiming to know the practices and restrictions on breastfeeding of women who work at the Health Center 1? de Maio, Nampula. Methods: This is a descriptive survey with a qualitative approach, developed at the Health 1? de Maio in Nampula City, participated in this research women who work in this health unit during the period of data collection and who agreed to participate in the survey. Conclusion: The main results of the survey suggest that working women were unable to maintain exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months, and they resorted to the introduction of milk formulas to feed the child within the first months of life, participants continued complementary breastfeeding until 2 years of the child, others until more than 2 years. Limitations pointed out by the participants has do to with the distance between home and workplace, such as inadequate working conditions for the continuation of breastfeeding, particularly after the end of maternity leave.

Keywords: Breastfeeding, maternity leave, weaning and work

Edition: Volume 10 Issue 12, December 2021,

Pages: 395 - 402