Desmame precoce em bebês: a importância da atuação fonoaudiológica

Abstract

Introduction: Breastfeeding is a natural and indispensable process for the nutrition, immunity, and overall development of the baby, as well as strengthening the emotional bond with the mother. Despite its proven benefits, early weaning remains frequent, resulting from physiological, social, and cultural factors, including difficulties with latching, low milk production, and oral alterations such as ankyloglossia. In this context, the speech-language pathologist's role becomes fundamental in evaluating the newborn's oral motor functions, identifying difficulties early, and guiding the mother-baby dyad, contributing to effective breastfeeding and the baby's healthy development. Objective: To conduct a literature review to investigate the importance of speech-language pathology intervention in maintaining breastfeeding. Method: A study was conducted using the integrative literature review technique, which consists of synthesizing the results obtained in research on the desired topic or question, carrying out the search in a systematic, ordered, and comprehensive manner. Thus, the search was conducted in the SCIELO database, academic journal websites, GOOGLE Scholar, and articles available on the internet that addressed the chosen topic. Works published between 2015 and 2025 were selected. Inclusion criteria were research published in the last 10 years, in Portuguese, and relevant to the topic. Exclusion criteria were articles that did not address the proposed topic, those outside the established timeframe, and articles published in another language. Results: The analyzed literature shows that early weaning is mainly associated with maternal factors, such as insecurity, lack of guidance on breastfeeding techniques, and difficulties related to latch and sucking. Studies also highlight the influence of anatomical aspects, such as ankyloglossia, which can compromise breastfeeding efficiency. Furthermore, it was identified that speech-language pathology intervention in maternity wards and in the first hours of life has a direct impact on the prevention of orofacial difficulties and the maintenance of exclusive breastfeeding.