Ao sol carta é farol

What does a doctor need to know about breastfeeding and adolescent health and pregnancy?

“…The AISA should be extended to the entire population aged between 10 and 20 years, with longitudinal and distinct follow-up between the different stages, to be carried out through individualized outpatient care, home visits, and participation in educational groups with the following objectives general: monitor physical growth and development; expand vaccination coverage; promote sexual and reproductive health; promote food and nutrition education; promote safety and accident prevention; promote the prevention of intentional injuries in the home, school, and interpersonal environment; encourage health promotion and prevention of the most common diseases in this age group; promote physical and mental hygiene and the practice of leisure activities appropriate to each phase; and provide socialization, cultural stimulation, and adaptation of adolescents. In this age group, pregnancy is still considered a social and public health problem 28-31 in their social environment, promoting oral health 27 – 30 .…”

“…In 10 years, the number of births in children under 19 years in Brazil has decreased by about 40%, but the teenage pregnancy rate is still high, with more than 400,000 pregnant women per year. Only 2% of teenagers who became pregnant continued their studies 27 – 30 .…”

“…For the teenage mother, complications and severity will be greater or lesser according to age, parity, adherence to prenatal care, weight gain, and socioeconomic and cultural factors. The physical consequences are hypertension; anemia, resulting from situations of poverty, malnutrition, chronic malnutrition, and inadequate diet to avoid gaining weight; higher rate of cesareans; urinary and genital infections; maternal mortality (risk increases the lower the chronological age and with successive pregnancies at short intervals); spontaneous and clandestine abortions; toxemia; and dystocia, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) 27 – 30 .…”

“…As psychosocial consequences, there is emotional tension, family rejection that increases the probability of developing physical and mental problems; loss of autonomy; partner abandonment; low schooling, associated with low socioeconomic status, being the cause of higher absenteeism in prenatal care; difficulty in returning to school after childbirth due to the fragile support network; and dreams interrupted by the lack of preparation for work, as many drop out of school when they become pregnant and, therefore, lose the opportunity to acquire knowledge and enter the job market 27 – 30 .…”

“…As for the son of a teenage mother, the consequences are prematurity, abandonment, low weight at birth, increase in the infant mortality rate in the first year of life, higher number of hospitalizations, violence, and even BF can be affected. BF should be encouraged for adolescent mothers, making them aware of the benefits for both the child and her (all the same benefits of BF as adult mothers) and the importance of BF to the child exclusively for the first 6 months of life, continuing up to 2 years 30 .…”