Breastfeeding in the brazilian penitentiary system: a systematic review

Abstract

Introduction. Breastfeeding allows the greatest bond between mother and neonates, involves emotional, psychological and organic aspects. Regarding women inmates who need to breastfeed in prison, in addition to vulnerability, they are faced with a place less favorable to the affective, motor and psychosocial development of neonates. Objective. To verify the conditions of breastfeeding women in Brazilian prisons. Method. Searches for scientific articles took place in the electronic databases MEDLINE (Pubmed), LILACS, SciELO, SCOPUS, WEB OF SCIENCE and Google Scholar, without restriction of language, location or period of publication. The search strategy used was the combination of descriptor and Boolean operator: (breastfeeding) and (prisons) and (Brazil). Results. Two qualitative studies were included, which sought to infer about breastfeeding in the Brazilian prison system from the view of women who breastfeed in prison. The studies highlight the lack of autonomy of the nursing mother for conscious decision making, as well as the inefficient interaction between women and health professionals, who revealed that they were not prepared to adequately welcome and support breastfeeding mothers in this environment. Conclusion. The practice of breastfeeding in the prison system faces important challenges that break the bond between mother and newborn. The need to promote and protect breastfeeding in the prison environment and the preparation of health professionals to welcome and instruct mothers in this system is highlighted.