Portuguese school children breastfeeding experiences

Abstract

Descriptive cross-sectional study on breastfeeding experiences, using a questionnaire with 1078 children aged between 7 and 12 years, in the 3rd and 4th years of primary education in public schools. Most children knew that they and their siblings had been breastfed and had used a pacifier. Few had seen their mother breastfeeding, seen their father close to their mother while breastfeeding their siblings, or reported that nurses in the school had talked to them about breastfeeding. Furthermore, when playing with their dolls, most girls did not pretend to breastfeed, and 771 (71.5%) reported their dolls had bottles, or pacifiers, and pretended to feed their dolls with a bottle. They say they would enjoy breastfeeding, but where embarrassed of doing that in public. The books and cartoons that these children usually read and watch do not show women breastfeeding. Many children consider breast milk to be the best food for the baby, but they have several misconceptions, and not all the children knew what breastfeeding was.