Working women’s perception of breastfeeding continuity through the use of Breastfeeding Support Rooms: a qualitative study

Souza, Carolina Belomo de; Melo, Daiane Sousa; Santos, Evangelia Kotzias Atherino dos; Venancio, Sonia Isoyama; Silva, Regina Paula Guimarães Vieira Cavalcante da

doi:10.1590/2317-6369/13124pt2025v50e15

person Carolina Belomo de Souza

made a substantial contribution to the conception of the study · contributed to the survey, analysis, interpretation of data and drafting of the manuscript · All the authors have approved the final version and take full public responsibility for the work carried out and the content published

schoolUniversidade Federal do Paraná, Departamento de Pediatria. Curitiba, PR, Brazil.

0000-0002-5813-5747

person Daiane Sousa Melo

interpretation of data and drafting of the manuscript · All the authors have approved the final version and take full public responsibility for the work carried out and the content published

schoolUniversidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Saúde Pública. São Paulo, SP, Brazil.

0000-0002-0560-5645

person Evangelia Kotzias Atherino dos Santos

contributed to the critical revisions of the manuscript · All the authors have approved the final version and take full public responsibility for the work carried out and the content published

schoolUniversidade Federal de Santa Catarina. Florianópolis, SC, Brazil.

0000-0002-5970-020X

person Sonia Isoyama Venancio

made a substantial contribution to the conception of the study · contributed to the critical revisions of the manuscript · All the authors have approved the final version and take full public responsibility for the work carried out and the content published

schoolMinistério da Saúde, Coordenação-Geral de Atenção à Saúde das Crianças, Adolescentes e Jovens. Brasília, DF, Brazil.

0000-0001-7147-3292

person Regina Paula Guimarães Vieira Cavalcante da Silva

made a substantial contribution to the conception of the study · contributed to the critical revisions of the manuscript · All the authors have approved the final version and take full public responsibility for the work carried out and the content published

schoolUniversidade Federal do Paraná, Departamento de Pediatria. Curitiba, PR, Brazil.

0000-0002-2467-1760

personContact: Carolina Belomo de Souza. E-mail: carolina.belomo@ufpr.br

Competing interests:

The authors declare that there are no competing interests.

Editor-in-Chief:

Leila Posenato Garcia

Themes	Quotes	No. of mentions
Make it possible to maintain milk production and store milk	“Because it helps to stimulate the production of breast milk. Even if the mother wants to breastfeed, if she doesn’t express the milk or breastfeed during working hours, milk production decreases considerably and inevitably the mother stops breastfeeding” (MT1); “I was able to express the milk to send it to school [...]” (MT2); “If I didn’t have a place to express and store milk, I would certainly have stopped breastfeeding” (MT3) “Even when I went back to work, I was able to collect milk to give to the child later [...]” (MT4); “it was essential to maintain milk production [...]” (MT5); “It allowed breastfeeding to continue because it encouraged expressing and stimulation” (MT6) “If I didn’t have the room, it would certainly hurt my production [...]” (MT7) “[...] In addition to maintaining normal milk production” (MT9); “In my case, my allergic to cow milk son wouldn’t take formula, so if I didn’t milk in the work room, I’d have to do it in the bathroom [...]” (MT11) “If I didn’t take the milk, it would be more practical to give the supplement, because there would be no way of storing it” (MT12) “The fact that you can drain it helps a lot” (MT15); “Because of the possibility of being able to express and store the milk” (MT18) “because of milk production, it helps to maintain” (MT19); “Maintaining breast milk production [...] (MT20); “It helped in the process of expressing the milk I used to breastfeed my daughter while she was in daycare, it helped so that milk production didn’t reduce or stop due to lack of stimulation [...]” (MT22); “It’s certainly helped me to keep expressing milk and always have more [...]” (MT23)	33
	“If I didn’t have this place to express milk at the company, I probably would have stopped breastfeeding, or I would have expressed milk in an unhygienic place” (MT24); “because the more you stimulate the breast, the more milk is produced [...]” (MT25); “I was able to stock up on milk to send to daycare” (MT26) “allows the stimulus for milk production to remain in the mother’s body [...]” (M27); “Because there would be no other suitable place to express the milk and store it” (MT28); “[...] if I hadn’t been milking during the day, my production would have decreased [...]” (MT29); “Because the room allowed the milk to be express and stored in an appropriate way so that it could be used at another time by the baby; if it hadn’t been for the room, this process wouldn’t have been possible” (MT30); “I was able to drain and store my milk for longer” (MT34); “because if you don’t use up the milk during working hours, you won’t produce any more milk” (MT36) “Because I had the opportunity to keep breastfeeding my son for an extended period, which I’m sure contributed to his development.” (MT38); “ It was very important for maintaining the stock of breast milk in the daycare and continuing breastfeeding without the baby rejecting the breast after the work shift “ (MT39); “It certainly didn’t reduce my milk production” (MT40) “I think it was fundamental, because I was able to keep my son on breast milk until he was about two years old [...] (MT41); “because it’s possible to express the milk in a suitable place, without having to improvise” (MT44); “Upon returning from maternity leave, it is extremely necessary to express the milk at least once during the work shift so that it can continue to be produced [...]” (MT46) “I was able to express milk during my journey and save it to give to my baby during the time we were apart” (MT48); “Because of maintaining milk production, running out ,and continuing to produce. I think it’s crucial for production” (MT52).
Prevent problems related to breastfeeding	“[...] preventing absence due to breastfeeding-related illnesses” (MT8); “[...] and not experiencing problems as a result of not emptying the breasts “ (MT15) “[...] and also not running the risk of breast engorgement “ (MT23); “[...] Without this room, milk production would have been reduced (in addition to the risks of engorgement, mastitis etc.) [...]” (MT46).	4
Avoid the use of artificial milk	“[...] and thus maintain breastfeeding without the use of formulas for longer” (MT2) “was essential for [...] the exclusive use of breast milk” (MT5) “If I didn’t have the room [...] I would have had to start using artificial milk” (MT7); “because it prevented me from having to use artificial milk to breastfeed my baby while I was working [...]” (MT9) “[...] and I would also have had to introduce a bottle with formula because I wouldn’t have had any milk for them to drink during the day [...]” (MT29); “Because I didn’t have to include formula in my daughter’s diet” (MT33); “Because if [...] there’s no production to send to the daycare and the baby has to go on formula” (MT36); “I was able to keep my son on breast milk until he was about 2 years old, without the need to supplement with complementary milks/compounds [...]” (MT41) “allowed me to use only breast milk for another 30 days” (MT49).	9
Provide ease, support, and well-being	“Because it makes it easier, you don’t feel bad” (MT13) “Because you don’t feel uncomfortable with a very full breast [...]” (MT15) “[...] the breastfeeding room helped to make me feel comfortable (after all, I didn’t have to keep my breasts full for so long) and it was also crucial for me to donate the excess amount (which had previously been discarded)” (MT16); “I certainly wouldn’t be breastfeeding anymore if there wasn’t this support from the company, because the logistics of expressing it, storing it during working hours, would be much more complex” (MT17); “[...] And also the certainty that while I wasn’t around my child received my milk” (MT20); “[...] It helps keep the mother at peace, which also promotes milk production [...]” (MT27) “Because I felt supported by the company” (MT31) “The ease of the room keeps you breastfeeding” (MT32); “Because there is a space to provide psychological support for those who are breastfeeding. This serves as emotional support and affects the continuity and production of breast milk” (MT51).	9

Working women’s perception of breastfeeding continuity through the use of Breastfeeding Support Rooms: a qualitative study

Abstract