Meaning of the Mother's Experience of Support during the Breastfeeding Process

Abstract

Introduction: It has been described that there are experiences in people's lives that have the capacity to modulate the nervous system, which directly influences human development. Timely intervention in early childhood has the potential to have a positive impact on their development. In this logic, breastfeeding takes on special importance, since it increases the probability of survival, provides adequate nutrition and stimulation, favors a safe environment, and is an immense contribution to the strengthening of social ties, among other benefits. The support the mother receives during the process is fundamental for successful breastfeeding. Objective: To unveil the meaning of the maternal experience on support during the breastfeeding process. Methodology: A phenomenological design study in which an analysis was carried out with secondary data, according to Edmund Husserl's perspective. To ensure the methodological rigor of this research, the criteria of Guba and Lincoln were applied. The ethical aspects of the research were approached from Ezekiel Emanuel's seven ethical requirements. Findings: The meaning of the maternal experience of support during the breastfeeding process was unveiled in four comprehensive categories: maternal experience of breastfeeding, experience of support from health professionals, experience of support from partners, and experience of support from other family members. Conclusion: The three sources of support identified nurture and modulate the breastfeeding experience in a complementary manner, so that the indivisibility of the influences exerted by them is a constitutive characteristic for the support to be perceived by the mothers as comprehensive and supportive.