THE ROLES OF MIDWIFE IN ACTIVITIES TO PROMOTE BREASTFEEDING

Breast-feeding is one of the first most important emotional moments for the mother and for the child. According to existing researches breast-feeding brings the child protection from allergy, it improves the immune system, supports the healthful growth of the bones and provides nutritional energetical value. Breast-feeding is an essential way of nourishment, which the mother can offer the child and it is finantially undemanding. It is important for pregnant women to be prepared to breast-feeding, they can attend some prenatal courses or they can come to a prenatal advisory centre. If a woman wants to breast-feed her child, she should know the principles of right breast-feeding, the technique and the breast-feeding positions. The role of a midwife is to educate a woman during the pregnancy and after the birth of the child. The thesis includes anatomy of the breast, the characteristic, advantages and methods of breast-feeding, the composition the breast milk, the definition of the term ?midwife? and activities to support breast-feeding. The thesis deals with awarness of the pregnant women about breast-feeding. It finds out about how pregnant women are informed about breast-feeding. It also finds out what activities midwives do. The research has been done through questionnaires by the quantitive method. The research group was formed of fifty puerperas from the hospital in České Budějovice and from the hospital in Pelhřimov. The other research group was formed of fifty midwives from the primal care of the towns of Jindřichův Hradec, České Budějovice and Pelhřimov. It is possible to use the resuls of the thesis as an information material for midwives working in primal care. The results can help through informed midwives to improve the awareness of pregnant women and can be used in prenatal courses to educate women about breast-feeding