Working women and factors that interfere with breastfeeding: an integrative review

Abstract

Researches show that women consider work and continuation of breastfeeding as incompatible practices. This work has as objective to analyze the scientific evidences about the barriers and facilitators in breastfeeding after the return of women to work. The literature research took place in SCOPUS, LILACS, PUBMED and CINAHL databases. The sample consisted of 20 articles published between 2001 and 2011. The articles were grouped and the results divided into five thematic categories: mothers' experiences of breastfeeding; factors related to duration of breastfeeding; work and breastfeeding; work and breastfeeding policies; breastfeeding programs; working women and biological factors. This study is important for health professionals of various fields, since it is a primary tool for identifying specific strategies for improving the care to working women.