[Breast-feeding in clinical practice]

OBJECTIVE: To present an updated review on practical aspects of breast-feeding promotion and management. METHODS: Review of relevant publications from scientific journals, technical books and publications by international organizations. RESULTS: Nowadays, exclusive breast-feeding is recommended for a period of approximately 6 months, and maintenance of complementary breast-feeding should continue for 2 or more years. Despite abundant scientific evidence on the superiority of breastmilk over other types of milk, the number of women who breast-feed their infants according to present recommendations is still low. Health care providers can improve this scenario by encouraging breast-feeding and helping nurturing mothers to overcome breast-feeding hindrances. Therefore, health professionals must have the necessary knowledge and skills for managing the different stages of lactation. This way, they will be able to provide prenatal counseling, guidance and help during the breast-feeding initiation period, careful evaluation of breast-feeding techniques and adequate interventions in the event of any problems associated with breast-feeding. This article is concerned with some important topics related to breast-feeding in clinical practice. CONCLUSION: Breast-feeding is the ideal method for infant feeding, and it can certainly be facilitated by health care providers through adequate clinical practice.