Table 4

Reasons for ending breastfeeding

Personal issues (51%)

  • ”Maternal health and birth complications”

  • ”Time constraints”

  • ”Another pregnancy”

  • ”Weight loss”

  • ”Fatigue”

  • ”Personal choice”

  • ”Twins”

  • ”Pressure to stop by parents and in-laws”

  • ”Sharps injury”

  • ”Father sharing feeding”

  • ”Milk supply decreased when back to work”

  • ”Timing was right to end”

  • ”On medication not compatible with breastfeeding”

  • ”Tired of being ‘tied up’”

  • ”Burden of other child care”

Baby issues (38%)

  • “Baby losing interest”

  • ”Feeding problems”

  • ”Baby biting”

  • ”Baby ill or hospitalized”

  • ”Other child starting school”

  • ”Not enough milk”

  • “Baby older”

  • ”Chronic mastitis”

  • ”Colicky baby”

Practice issues (33%)

  • ”Return to work”

  • “Heavy call commitments”

  • ”No flexibility at work to allow breastfeeding”

  • ”Felt pressure from colleagues and patients to return to work”

Medical school and residency issues (4%)

  • ”Baby born 6 weeks before [Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons fellowship examination]”

  • ”Too stressed in medical school”

  • ”In university full-time”

Societal issues (1%)

  • ”Societal pressure”