Introduction:

Breast complications related to breastfeeding usually appear between the first and tenth postpartum day. They may appear with lesions to women's health and early weaning. Therefore, the nurse's action in the face of these conditions is of great social importance.

Objective:

To understand the nursing action in the face of breast complications related to breastfeeding.

Methods:

A descriptive study with a qualitative approach and based on the social representations theory was conducted with 17 nurses working in the 29 family health units of Porto Seguro Municipality, Bahia State, Brazil, in the period from February to June 2021. The used data collection technique was the interview guided by a semistructured script. The empirical data were analyzed using the thematic content analysis proposed by Bardin.

Results:

The results obtained after the analysis were interpreted and supported by the social representations theory, which allowed the construction of the category praxis of nurses in the face of breast complications. The category showed that the nurses' knowledge about breast complications is insufficient to anchor the practice of care.

Conclusion:

The nurses' knowledge about breast complications related to breastfeeding proved to be inept to offer effective and updated care practices, necessary for an adequate performance and favoring the maintenance of breastfeeding during treatment; therefore, permanent education on the subject is required.

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