Maternal perception of factors that interfere with breastfeeding of preterm newborns.

Purpose: to verify the association between the perception of mothers of premature infants regarding the features that may interfere with breastfeeding and the mother's socioeconomic data, pregnancy and the baby's clinical data.

Methods: observational, descriptive and analytical quali-quantitative cross-sectional study. One hundred and fourteen mothers of premature infants were included and data were collected through questionnaires, applied at hospital discharge, and analysis of medical records. Maternal responses about the interference observed in the breastfeeding process were categorized by content analysis and associated with socioeconomic, pregnancy and baby data.

Results: the mothers' perceptions regarding the factors that interfere with the baby's feeding at the mother's breast were divided into four semantic categories: clinical and/or physical conditions of the baby; clinical, physical and/or psycho-emotional conditions of the mother; support network; and strategies for initiating and/or maintaining breastfeeding. Education, paternal presence, having other children and having breastfed them were associated with the maternal perception that their clinical, physical and/or psycho-emotional conditions interfere with breastfeeding. In addition, the support network was associated with exclusive breastfeeding at discharge.

Conclusion: education, paternal presence, multiparity and having breastfed previous children influenced the maternal perception that their clinical, physical and/or psycho-emotional conditions interfere with breastfeeding. In addition, mention of the support network was associated with exclusive breastfeeding at discharge.