Breastfeeding premature newborns

This book looks at the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding and breastfeeding of premature newborns, during hospitalization, during discharge and one week after discharge at home, through a retrospective, cross-sectional epidemiological study of 128 premature newborns and their mothers, in a public maternity hospital of reference in high-risk pregnancy. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data, and the following results were obtained: sociodemographic variables of the mothers: 56.4% of the pregnant women were teenagers and had little schooling (58.6%); variables related to pregnancy and childbirth, such as the predominant type of delivery was caesarean section (58.6%); and the birth conditions of the newborns: the Apgar score was higher than seven in the 1st and 5th minute (respectively, 57% - 82.1%), 90% with gestational age between 32 and 36 weeks, and birth weight between 1500 and 2500g (64.1%). It was found that when a premature baby was born with an Apgar score greater than seven and a birth weight between 1500 and 2500g, these factors were positively favorable for the early initiation of breastfeeding, breastfeeding and maintaining breastfeeding until the baby was born at home.