Objective:

Analyze the association between mean scores for pre-natal and postpartum women on the Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy-scale (short-form) and the type of breastfeeding.

Method:

This is a longitudinal, quantitative study conducted at basic health units in Pacatuba (Ceará) from July to November 2011. The sample included 50 women who were more than 30 weeks into their pregnancies. Four sets of data were collected: the first one at the health unit during pregnancy and the other three through home visits during the postpartum period. The scale was used in the first two collections and the child health form in the last three.

Results:

statistical significance was observed between the mean scale scores (p = 0.009) in the technical domain (p = 0.001), between artificial milk used at birth and the type of breastfeeding after maternity leave (p = 0.001). In the maternity unit, the mothers who breastfed their children exclusively had the highest average self-efficacy scores in both the prenatal and postpartum periods (p <0.005).

Conclusion:

Health professionals are strongly encouraged to adopt breastfeeding strategies based on self-efficacy. These strategies should be implemented during the pregnancy-puerperal cycle, since it is evident that high self-efficacy scores are directly related to breastfeeding for a longer period of time.

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