Human Milk Bank

possibilities of speech therapy activities

Abstract

Introduction: human milk banks were created to support and encourage breastfeeding, acting as a public policy strategy to reduce neonatal mortality and protect the health of the binomial. Because it is a space for multidisciplinary activities, milk banks become an ideal environment for the performance of the speech therapist, a professional who contributes to support mothers, especially during the establishment of exclusive breastfeeding. Objective: to report the possibilities of speech therapy activities in a human milk bank. Description of the experience: a qualitative descriptive study of an experience report type, carried out between March and July 2020, at a Human Milk Bank of a public maternity hospital in the Brazilian Northeast, accredited by the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative. The experience comprised two segments: technical performance and assistance performance. The experiences were presented through discursive narration. The area of performance of Speech Therapy in a human milk bank can be diversified, as it covers technical and assistance activities, from the receipt of donated human milk to assistance to the puerperal woman and the newborn. Specific training is necessary for the professional to be inserted into the team of a human milk bank. Final considerations: It was possible to identify, through experience, the role of the speech therapist in the human milk bank, as well as to understand the need for his insertion in the team of this sector in the hospital environment.