The present study shows that the nursing practices used on women's assistance, looking forward breast- feeding, transcend an individual technical action. It is known that the kind of assistance practiced will depend on the guidelines set by each institutional organization. These guidelines are based on a prevailed health model which is determined by social and organizational relations that are part of different societies and institutions. The objective of this study is to analyse the relation between the model of breast-feeding assistance established by SUS (Unique Health System) and the actual nursing practice within the Basic Health Units (UBS) of SMS-RP (Municipal Health Office of Ribeirão Preto). Semi-structured interviews with nursing workers were adopted in order to have a report of their practices concerning breast-feeding assistance. The data was examined on the basis of the analyses of content of Bardin (1977). Results showed that there is a considerable difference between the theoretical postulate, and the assistance that is actually practiced. This happens because the nursing practices are submitted to a biomedical model, centered on patients' complaints, which favors medical assistance actions and reinforces prompt assistance. For this reason the study couldn't detect any significant changes regarding the uniqueness of health actions It was observed that some nursing workers were closer to a better understanding of women care assistance, however the daily determinations have hindered more concrete actions that could transform this practice.
women's health; assistance model; breast-feeding