Nursing mothers' perception about their quality of life

Abstract

Women usually describe breastfeeding as a period of high physical and emotional distress. The objective of this study is to understand the perception that nursing mothers' supported in a Primary Health Care Clinic located in the city of São Paulo have about their quality of life (QL). This is an exploratory qualitative study. Participants were 202 nursing mothers, who answered the Instrument of QL (WHOQOL-bref). The data was organized according to the Collective Subject Discourse. The nursing mothers, describing what is QL, use the objective and subjective aspects as qualifiers of their life experience. It was found that it is important to plan nursing care about breastfeeding since the prenatal period, especially as a way to encourage the father to participate in the care to his children and to prepare the family to support the mother, which will certainly improve her perception about her QL.