Lactation behavior and delivery care in a group of women from a Mexican rural community]

This article presents a brief discussion on the role that "medical practice" plays, related to the type of infant lactation after delivery, and breast-feeding practice during the first months of life. Data on hospital routines and how these predispose artificial feeding practices are seen from a critical angle. The information presented in this paper corresponds to a project carried out in a rural community of the state of México, called Malinalco, where the lactation behavior of 65 women after birth of the child, was followed as of their last period of pregnancy. The main objectives of the study were to determine the relationship between the place of delivery (hospital or home delivery) and the type of lactation practiced by the mothers, as well as to determine the infants nutritional status during their first year of life. Results showed that the greater part of women from the sample were young others (less than 30 years old) with one or two children. As to the place where delivery took place, 72% of the sample were attended by midwives at their own homes, and at last 65% practiced breast feeding exclusively during the first three months. No significant correlation between these two indicators (place of delivery and type of lactation) was found, although a tendency to a more prolonged breast-feeding practice was observed in those women who delivered at home. Problems related to weaning practices were detected, since they start this only with bean broth after five months of life. Finally, information on nutritional status during the first 12 months of life, shows serious nutritional problem after the child's third month of life, since the normality percentage starts decreasing while there occurs a significant increase of 1st an 2nd degree malnutrition.