Decision-making about breastfeeding: influences of breastfeeding counseling.

OBJECTIVES: to understand how women who received breastfeeding counseling make breastfeeding-related decisions during their children's first year of life. METHODS: a qualitative study conducted with women who received breastfeeding counseling in rooming-in units of three university hospitals, two located in the Southeast region and one in the Northeast region. Semi-structured interviews were conducted between May and September 2024, assessed using the Symbolic Interactionism and Thematic Analysis frameworks. RESULTS: eleven women participated, highlighting the interactional context of breastfeeding counseling as a promoter of safety and trust, with technical and emotional contributions to overcoming breastfeeding challenges. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS: breastfeeding counseling proved to be a care technology with positive influences on maintaining exclusive breastfeeding in the first year of children's lives.