OBJECTIVE: Establish a relationship between nursing mothers' health needs and their quality of life. METHODS: Cross-sectional study with 219 nursing mothers selected by consecutive convenience sampling. The assessment instrument WHOQOL-bref was used in this study. RESULTS: A significant statistical difference was found between the non-satisfaction of the nursing mothers' health needs and a lower mean quality of life score as follows: in the physical domain, for women who needed sleep and rest, family support and time for themselves; in the social relationships domain, for women who needed family support; in the environment domain, for those who needed access to health services, an appropriate environment to breastfeed and professional support; in the psychological domain, for mothers who needed good mental health. CONCLUSION: Nursing mothers with unsatisfied health needs presented a lower mean quality of life score.
nursing; Maternal-child nursing; Obstetrical nursing; Quality of life; Breast feeding