Abstract
Breastfeeding, according to the World Health Organization, should be the only food for babies up to 6 months of age and the main food for children up to 24 months of age. Among its many advantages, there are lower rates of infant morbidity due to diarrhea, respiratory infections, otitis media, protection against overweight and diabetes. The objective of the study was to draw an epidemiological profile of the investigated pregnant and lactating women, noting the patterns and conditioning factors associated with the implementation in the maternal routine and their difficulties in this practice. This is a descriptive, quantitative study with a cross-sectional design. Data collection was carried out through a semi-structured questionnaire for maternal knowledge about breastfeeding, carried out with pregnant and postpartum women registered at a Health Unit located in the city of Ubá, Minas Gerais, featuring a non-probabilistic sample of 118 women. Considering the knowledge of the term Exclusive Breastfeeding, 56.7% of the women interviewed reported not knowing, at the time of the interview, its meaning; 23.7% reported thinking that there are situations in which the baby should not be breastfed or that the practice should be interrupted; 19.4% of the women reported that they thought there was “weak milk”, while 100% believed that it was a suitable food for the baby. The interest in addressing this issue is due to the understanding that there is a great dissemination of information and encouragement of Breastfeeding, but without an adequate degree of knowledge on the subject. Thus, it is necessary to guide more and more pregnant and postpartum women, in an effective, individualized and dynamic way.