Lactancia en mujeres del Cauca: conocimientos, prácticas y redes de apoyo

Background: Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) during the first six months of life influences knowledge, practices and the support network for breastfeeding mothers and families. The objective was to describe the knowledge, practices and the configuration of support networks for the promotion of breastfeeding by mothers who use an Health Provider Institution in the municipality of Santander de Quilichao. Methods: Qualitative study, hermeneutical design, a semi-structured interview script was used. The sample was propositional of homogeneous cases, until reaching theoretical saturation of the data. Qualitative content analysis was carried out, based on a categorization and coding process. Results: 26 mothers were interviewed showing knowledge about breast milk as the best food for a newborn, but they have little definition of the time of exclusivity that should be provided. Conclusions: Mothers know what methods exist to increase breast milk production; however, they are insufficient, because they still ignore one of the most important pillars that are related to milk production, such as adequate mother feeding and the frequent of baby sucking. The population demonstrated knowledge of basic concepts about breastfeeding (BF), a characteristic that should be used to promote and reinforce it even more.