A prática de amamentar entre mulheres que exercem trabalho remunerado na Paraíba, Brasil: um estudo transversal

paid work should not be an obstacle to women's breastfeeding. the world health organization (who) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months. in brazil, women are legally entitled to 4 months of maternity leave, but in practice few women enjoy such benefits. how is it possible to practice exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months? we analyzed both the breastfeeding rates and whether paid jobs interfere with breastfeeding in paraíba state, northeast brazil. we conducted a cross-sectional study in 70 of 223 municipalities (counties) during the annual immunization campaign in 2002. among 11,076 infants (< 12 months of age), the exclusive breastfeeding rate at 0-4 months was 22.4% and was significantly higher among working women receiving maternity leave as compared to those who did not. the prevalence of total and predominant breastfeeding for 4 months was significantly lower among working women. in rural areas, having paid work was associated with a reduction in exclusive breastfeeding. the results show that breastfeeding practices in paraíba fall far short of who recommendations, especially when mothers return to their paid jobs.