Why WIC Women Stop Breastfeeding?

Abstract

Women who receive benefits from Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) are not meeting the recommendations for breastfeeding duration. The purpose of this descriptive correlational study was to examine maternal sociodemographic and time factors related to the reason for discontinuing breastfeeding for 238 WIC participants who initiated breastfeeding. This study is a secondary data analysis of existing longitudinal survey and administrative data from a Chicago-area community health center and WIC clinic. The average length of breastfeeding within this sample was 16 weeks. Women in this sample reported a perception of insufficient milk (PIM; 46%), returning to work/school (13%), and other maternal problems (13%) as the main reasons for discontinuing breastfeeding. Within the first 16 weeks, 65% of the women who discontinued breastfeeding cited PIM as the main reason, with 2 distinct time points at 5 weeks and 13 weeks. Women of Hispanic descent were more likely than non-Hispanic women to report this perception (odds ratio 2.66, P = .01, 95% confidence interval = 1.21-5.83). Although these women initiated breastfeeding, the national recommendation for breastfeeding duration was not met in this population. Additionally, many women stopped breastfeeding early due to PIM. There are distinct time points where culturally tailored interventions may be most effective.