Objective:

To understand the experience of mothers in agreement between breastfeeding and university studies.

Methodology:

This is a qualitative, descriptive study, including eight undergraduate students from higher educational institution of Floriano municipality, Piauí, Brazil. For data collection, a semi-structured interview was used. Data were analyzed using the Bardin content analysis.

Results:

On the basis of data analysis resulting from interviewees' responses, emerged the following three categories: The challenges for breastfeeding against return to academic activities; The need for family support in the experience of breastfeeding; and The strategies used by mothers for breastfeeding in return to academic activities. Challenges in the experience of breastfeeding involved an excessive class load and an inflexible class schedules for developing academic activities, in addition to the absence of appropriate environment to carry out the breastfeeding in the educational institution. With regard to the need for family support, the student mothers reported that it was deficient in the experience in reconciling breastfeeding and academic life. In respect of mother's strategies to return to academic activities for infant feeding, the following strategies were highlighted: breast milk hand expression, use of infant formula, complementary feeding, and lactation suppression according to child's attitude.

Conclusion:

Student mothers perceived the experience of breastfeeding as a challenge and they described it with strategies and techniques in order to maintain it.

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