Factors Contributing to the Early Cessation of Breastfeeding in Hong Kong

Although 70% of all new mothers in Hong Kong now initiate breastfeeding, less than 25% of women exclusively breastfeed and almost one-half stop breastfeeding within the first month postpartum. The purpose of this study was to explore the breastfeeding experiences of Hong Kong Chinese mothers who prematurely discontinue breastfeeding to identify contributing factors which might be remediated to help women breastfeed longer. In-depth, exploratory interviews were carried out with 24 new mothers who stopped breastfeeding within one month after birth and content analysis was used to analyse the data. Five core themes emerged from the data: unnatural expectations, figuring it out, uncertainty, unfulfilling experiences, and guilt vs. relief. Because breastfeeding is “natural” participants expected that it would come naturally and thus be easy. When breastfeeding did not happen naturally, however, nurses were too busy to provide breastfeeding support and mothers were left to figure it out on their own. Participants also reported difficulty in gauging whether the infant was getting adequate nutrition from their breastmilk. Few participants had positive breastfeeding experiences and while the decision to stop breastfeeding caused guilt for most participants, others expressed relief at stopping breastfeeding. Greater postnatal breastfeeding support, both in the hospital and after the mother returns home, would increase the mother's confidence and enhance her mothering experience. Further antenatal and postnatal education on the issues surrounding the amount of breastmilk taken in by babies is also important.