Exclusive breastfeeding for premature newborn babies faces several challenges in order to be effective and to be able to offer the necessary benefits. This article was based on the selection of 13 studies related to breastfeeding and prematurity found in Scielo, CAPES and BVS in the last six years, which passed inclusion and exclusion criteria. The search was performed using the descriptors: breastfeeding, premature and preterm. It was concluded that the relationship between exclusive breastfeeding and preterm newborns may have difficulties in establishing itself, mainly due to factors related to maternal intention to breastfeed, support from family and health professionals, education, presence of the partner and among others. In addition, there was a lack of essential guidelines and the performance of a multidisciplinary team so that breastfeeding between mothers and their children was effective.