A IMPORTÂNCIA DO ALEITAMENTO MATERNO EXCLUSIVO NOS SEIS PRIMEIROS MESES DE VIDA

Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) is an essential practice in the first six months of a baby’s life, and is widely recognized for its nutritional, immunological, and emotional importance. However, several social, economic, and cultural factors interfere with its adherence, making the topic relevant to public health. The objective of this study was to analyze, through a literature review, the importance of exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months of life, highlighting its benefits and the challenges for its practice. This is a narrative literature review, carried out in April 2025, in the SciELO, LILACS, BDENF, and Google Scholar databases. The Health Sciences Descriptors (DeCS) were used: “breastfeeding”, “child health”, and “early weaning”, selecting studies published between 2013 and 2024, in Portuguese, available free of charge and with full text. The final sample included 18 scientific articles. The results indicate that EBF reduces infant mortality, strengthens the mother-baby bond and promotes better physical and cognitive development, being positively impacted by family support, adequate professional guidance and well-structured public policies. However, factors such as returning to work, lack of support network and misinformation still hinder the practice. It is concluded that, although the benefits of breastfeeding are widely proven, it is necessary to expand strategies to promote, protect and support breastfeeding, especially among women in contexts of social vulnerability, ensuring that this practice is effectively adopted in the first months of life, as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).