Maternal intention to breastfeed, duration of breastfeeding and reasons for weaning: a cohort study, Pelotas, RS, Brazil, 2014

Objective: to evaluate maternal intention to breastfeed, duration of breastfeeding up to 24 months-of-age and reasons for weaning in the first year of life. Methods: this was a cohort study conducted in Pelotas, RS, Brazil, with participants from the Multi- Center Body Composition Study; a life table was used to analyze duration of breastfeeding. Results: of the 1377 mothers screened, 74.3% reported intending to exclusively breastfeed up until 6 months, while 91.1% intended to prolong breastfeeding until at least 12 months; 58.0% of children were breastfed up to at least 6 months; median breastfeeding duration was 10.8 months (IQR: 5.8 - 23.0); the main reasons reported for weaning were insufficient breast milk (57.3%), return to work/school (45.5%), and unexplained refusal by the baby (40.1%). Conclusion: the results show that despite the intention to breastfeed, there are still structural and social barriers that interfere with successful breastfeeding, especially those related to working mothers.