Breastfeeding counseling in rooming-in care: a scoping review.
Michele Curcino Cavalcanti, Elisa da Conceição Rodrigues, Cynthya Viana de Resende and 3 others
PMID 40072993WHAT IT FOUND
Rooming-in breastfeeding counseling was associated with better breastfeeding establishment and maintenance, less formula use, and fewer infant health problems.
It also reduced the belief that milk was insufficient, though the review did not test a specific counseling protocol.
Key findings
01Counseling during rooming-in favored breastfeeding establishment and maintenance, increased chances of exclusive breastfeeding to four and six months, reduced formula use during hospitalization, and was associated with fewer infant diarrhea and jaundice requiring phototherapy.
02Counseling during rooming-in was reported as an impactful strategy for reducing the belief that breast milk was insufficient to nourish the newborn.
03The mapped studies rarely described the counseling skills used, and the standard rooming-in care routine was not detailed.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This is a scoping review, not a meta-analysis or effectiveness trial, so it maps what exists but does not establish how well a counseling protocol works. The review did not exclude studies based on methodological quality, so weakly described studies could contribute to the narrative. The included studies rarely described the counseling skills used or the standard rooming-in care routine, so it is unclear what was actually delivered. The term counseling was sometimes used as advice, health education, guidance, or clinical management, which blurs the intervention. The included studies came from different countries and designs, so the findings may not transfer to every hospital setting.
Declared interests
The article reports funding from Brazil's National Council for Scientific and Technological Development, CNPq. No commercial sponsor is named in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this review as proof that a specific rooming-in counseling protocol works. It mapped heterogeneous studies, and many did not describe the counseling skills or standard care routine, so the exact intervention is unclear.