Fatores associados ao volume de leite materno ordenhado por mães de recém-nascidos prematuros internados

Abstract

The best food for the preterm newborn is the mother's own milk. The Brazilian Network of Human Milk Banks guides a standard for the collection of breast milk in the neonatal environment, which is essential to offer the best food to the sick newborn because it helps their recovery and favors the maintenance of breastfeeding. Therefore, our objective was to investigate behavioral factors, sociodemographic and breastfeeding management data associated with the volume of breast milk expressed by mothers of hospitalized premature newborns. This is a correlational, cross-sectional and analytical study. Mothers of hospitalized premature newborns, aged 18 years or older, free of diseases that contraindicated breastfeeding, were included in the study. Assessment instruments were applied, such as: personal information questionnaire, Anxiety Inventory and Depression Inventory. The amount of milk expressed and the frequency in the milking room were verified using an existing spreadsheet. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software, version 21.0. 69.09% of mothers are between 18 and 30 years old; 72.73% have completed high school; 54.5% have only 1 child and 50.9% of them are in a stable union. Regarding occupation, 47.27% are housewives. As for premature newborns, 89.9% are hospitalized between 1 and 20 days. Regarding the number of times the mother entered the support room of the Human Milk Bank to express breast milk, 53.64% of them entered only 1 time per day and the average volume of expressed milk was 50 ml per day. Regarding the levels of anxiety and depression, most mothers had a moderate degree, with 31% and 48%, respectively. Low levels of anxiety and depression were associated with more expressed breast milk. 62.3% of the mothers came from cities in the interior of the state of Pará. In view of this, it was noticed that mothers of premature newborns face several challenges in relation to breast milk production. Frequency of milking and early stimulation have a significant impact on the production and volume of milk expressed. The higher the levels of maternal anxiety and depression, the lower the volume of expressed milk. It can also be observed that the closer to the place of hospitalization of the premature newborn, the higher the frequency of breast milk expressing.