IMPACTO DO APOIO À AMAMENTAÇÃO SOBRE O PADRÃO ALIMENTAR DOS BEBÊS NASCIDOS NA CIDADE DE PELOTAS/RS

Abstract

Objectives: To measure exclusive breastfeeding indexes in the first month of life and compare the feeding practices of children born in hospital which adopts the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative, with the other hospitals of the city. Methods: Quasi-experimental study, nested in a cohort. 973 mother-baby pairs were randomly chosen for home follow-up from an initial sample of 2741 mothers (hospital screening). Results: Being born in hospitals which did not adopt the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative has increased the risk of having mothers who were not stimulated to breastfeed, of babies not suckling in the first hour and received pacifier and tea at the hospital.The prevalence of one-month exclusive breastfeeding was of 60%. Children born in hospital which adopts Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative had a larger rate of one-month exclusive breastfeeding and the use of pacifier has shown a negative association with the outcome. Conclusions: The intervention was positive and, probably, the impact would be bigger if the implementation of ten steps were total during the data collection phase. The breastfeeding promotion efforts should continue after the patient is released through the formation of counseling groups to the mothers.