This study aimed to identify the social representations on premature infants' breastfeeding at a Kangaroo Care Unit, from the perspective of mothers who are breastfeeding and describe the conflicts and contradictions they experience in this context. A qualitative approach was adopted, using the first stage of enunciation analysis in the light of Social Representations theory to identify the meanings assigned to breastfeeding. We found the following representations: healthy babies are breastfed, mother's milk provides protection and preserves the premature child's life, breastfeeding is the complement of motherhood and breastfeeding a premature infant is a hard and exhausting experience. The conflicts resulted from the assimilation of technical contents and discourse, late sucking and representations on breastfeeding.
breastfeeding; kangaroo mother care; neonatal nursing