CONTRIBUIÇÕES DA TERAPIA COM COLOSTRO PARA O DESENVOLVIMENTO IMUNOLÓGICO NEONATAL EM PREMATUROS

Introduction: Colostrum therapy refers to the practice of offering small amounts of colostrum directly to the newborn's oral mucosa, with the purpose of activating the local immune response, favoring its absorption and contributing to the formation of a protective barrier. Objective: To investigate, in the scientific literature, the evidence on the benefits of colostrum therapy in the development of the immune system of premature newborns. Materials and Methods: This is a narrative review, with a descriptive approach, carried out based on the survey of scientific articles in the Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO), Virtual Health Library (BVS) and National Library of Medicine (PubMed) databases. The inclusion criteria were: complete and available articles, national and international, published in Portuguese, English and Spanish, and published in the last 10 years. The exclusion criteria consisted of the elimination of articles published outside the defined timeline, repeated articles, review studies or those that had no direct relation to the study theme. Results and Discussions: Seven (07) scientific studies were selected according to the descriptors used. The studies analyzed, despite the different methodologies, demonstrate the importance of colostrum therapy in the development of newborns, especially in preterm, low and very low birth weight infants. Oropharyngeal administration of colostrum, usually in doses of 0.1 ml applied to the oral mucosa of each cheek, is performed according to a standardized protocol and demonstrates greater efficacy the lower the degree of maturity of the newborn. The studies also highlight the essential role of health professionals, especially nurses, in supporting and guiding puerperal women shortly after birth, ensuring the correct implementation of colostrum therapy and contributing to adherence to breastfeeding. Conclusion: Colostrum therapy is a safe and effective practice that strengthens the immunity of premature newborns, reduces infections and favors the formation of a healthy microbiota. It also stimulates breastfeeding and the maintenance of lactation. The essential role of nurses is highlighted, whose technical performance and humanized support are fundamental to the success of the practice.