Factors influencing the reasons why mothers stop breastfeeding

To explore the reasons why women stop breastfeeding completely before their infants are six months of age and to identify the factors associated with cessation and the timing of cessation.

For all singleton live newborns born between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2009 in two district health authorities in Nova Scotia, Canada, mother's self-reported breastfeeding status was collected at hospital discharge and at five follow-up visits until infants were six months of age. Mothers who stopped breastfeeding before six months were also questioned about the time of weaning and the reason they discontinued all breastfeeding. Eleven categories were created from the open-ended responses women provided. These data were linked with the Nova Scotia Atlee Perinatal Database in order to obtain information on maternal and neonatal characteristics. The relationship between maternal, obstetrical, and neonatal characteristics and each reason for stopping breastfeeding completely were examined.

Of the 500 mothers who stopped breastfeeding completely before six months and provided a reason for discontinuing, the majority (73.6%) stopped within the first six weeks. The most common reasons cited were inconvenience or fatigue associated with breastfeeding (22.6%) and concerns about milk supply (21.6%). Return to work or school was associated with length of time that infants were breastfed: 20% of women who stopped after six weeks citing this as the reason. Most of the reasons, however, were not found to be associated with a specific duration of breastfeeding or with the examined maternal and infant characteristics.

This study highlights factors associated with the reasons why women stop breastfeeding completely before six months and how these reasons varied with weaning age. The results will help inform future research aimed at identifying interventions to reduce early breastfeeding cessation.