Breastfeeding during adolescence: life history of first-time mothers

Objective: To identify the factors that influence on primiparous adolescent mothers' breastfeeding and to comprehend the meaning of it to this woman. Method: This is a descriptive, of qualitative nature research. The subjects were 14 primiparous adolescent mothers, invited to participate in the research during the puericulture consulting in a Basic Health Care Unit, in Rio de Janeiro. The data were collected using a recorder with application of Life History technique and analyzed with thematic-categorical content. The study was approved by the Ethics and Research Committee of HUPE/UERJ under the N degrees 1116/2005. Results: The youngsters revealed the existence of several factors those influence the meaning they attach to breastfeeding as the biological, psychological, social, economic and family aspects, contributing to the construction of a multiplicity of meanings. Conclusion: The adolescent mother, when conceive her first baby experiences the emotion and felling associated with maternity and breastfeeding act.