Maternal Determinants That Impact Early Abandonment of Exclusive Breastfeeding

Abstract

Introduction: The World Health Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund affirm that breastfeeding provides health, nutritional and emotional benefits to both children and mothers and it is part of a sustainable food system.
Objective: To identify the relationship between maternal determinants and early abandonment of exclusive breastfeeding.
Methods: A descriptive, retrospective study was carried out with 105 mothers
from Aleida Fernández Chardiet Community Clinic, in La Lisa, Havana. They gave
birth in 2019 and weaned their children early. The variables studied were maternal
age, educational level, occupation and marital status and as sociodemographic
variables the duration of exclusive breastfeeding and the reasons given for early
weaning. The non-parametric chi-square test of independence was applied to
demonstrate the relationship among variables.
Results: Mothers ranging 20 and 34 years of age predominated and abandonment of exclusive breastfeeding took place before the third month in 71.4%. The perception of lack of family support predominated in 81.9%. The most frequent reasons referred to as causes of abandonment of exclusive breastfeeding were lack of milk and the need to work in 35.23 and 30.47%, respectively. The relationship between abandoning exclusive breastfeeding and nipple discomfort was statistically significant.
Conclusions: Maternal determinants in the early abandonment of exclusive breastfeeding play a predominant role in the decision of mothers not to continue providing their children with the precious food.