[Breastfeeding among children of women workers]

To analyze employment benefits and factors associated with the maintenance of breastfeeding indexes among working mothers.

The sample was constituted by 200 formal women workers who returned to work before the child had reached six months of life, in the city of Piracicaba (Southeastern Brazil). Among the participants, 100 mother-infant dyads received guidance and support for the practice of breastfeeding within an oral health prevention program, and the other 100 dyads were addressed in a child vaccination campaign. Multiple logistic regression analysis was carried out to identify variables related to weaning in the fourth month of life.

The majority of the participants were primiparous women who underwent cesarean section, initiated breastfeeding within four hours after birth and stayed with their child in the room. The following women had higher odds of stopping breastfeeding: mothers not participating in the incentive program (OR = 3.04 [95%CI: 1.35;6.85]), mothers who did not have a 30-minute break during the working hours (OR = 4.10 [95%CI: 1.81;9.26]), and mothers whose children used pacifiers (OR = 2.68 [95%CI: 1.23;5.83]) or bottles (OR = 14.47 [95%CI: 1.85;113.24].

The mothers who participated in the breastfeeding incentive group, who did not offer pacifiers and bottles to their babies and who had a break during the working hours stopped breastfeeding after the fourth month. Support and information on lactation management and on their rights guaranteed by law, together with the increase in the length of maternity leave, may play an important role in maintaining breastfeeding.