Abstract

Introduction:  During the period of pregnancy and breastfeeding, women experience physiological, psychological, and structural changes; these changes can impact their sexuality. Health professionals should pay special attention to their particular needs and sexual rights.

Objective:  To understand the perception that nursing students have about sexuality during breastfeeding.

Method:  This is qualitative, descriptive, and exploratory research. Sixteen nursing students from a public university in the interior of Bahia, Brazil participated in the research. To collect the empirical data, the projective technique of drawing a story about a given theme was used and the result was analyzed using the technique of content analysis.

Result:  After the analysis, three categories were revealed: dormant sexual feelings and desires due to the attention given to the baby and household chores; sexuality represented by the demonstration of love, support, companionship, dedication, and respect to women during the period of breastfeeding; and sexuality interference permeated by the commitment of the woman's self-image and self-esteem.

Conclusion:  It is concluded that breastfeeding and sexuality were perceived by nursing students through socially established concepts, experienced or not. Therefore, it is extremely important to approach this topic during the training of health professionals to help them deconstruct those socially ingrained taboos.

Keywords: Breastfeeding; Nursing; Sexuality