Social representations of Mexican pregnant teenagers about the puerperal care, lactation, and newborn care

Abstract

Background: Puerperal care and feeding of the newborn are guided by entrenched cultural meanings between women, so it is important to know and identify how they are acquired and perpetuated. Regarding this knowledge, the social representations that Mexican pregnant teenagers have about puerperium, lactation, and newborn care were studied. Methods: An interpretative study was made based on the principles of the theory of social representations. Interviews were conducted to obtain information from 30 Mexican adolescents who attended prenatal care at the gynecological obstetrics area in a second-level hospital during 2015. Classical content analysis strategies were applied to analyze the information; this process consisted of coding and categorizing information. A conceptual map was also developed to describe the social representations found. Results: In this study, 190 codes and three social representations were identified: “breastfeeding is a practice based on myths,” “newborns are fragile,” and “mother and child must be synchronized.” Conclusions: Three social representations that explain the practices of adolescents toward breastfeeding and the care of them and their children were identified. They were acquired through family communication and strengthened by the need for support due to the temporary or permanent absence of the couple, personal crises motivated by bodily changes, fear of new modifications due to breastfeeding and ignorance about how to carry out breastfeeding and care during the puerperium.