PREVALENCE AND REASONS FOR EARLIER THAN DESIRED CESSATION OF EXCLUSIVE BREASTFEEDING (6 MONTHS) AFTER BIRTH IN MOTHERS OF THE CHILDREN ADMITTED IN OBS/PAEDS WARDS OF A PRIVATE SECTOR HOSPITAL, PESHAWAR

Background: Breastfeeding is recognized globally as the most natural and beneficial way to ensure healthy growth and development in infants. Human breast milk provides all essential nutrients, antibodies, and hormones necessary for optimal neonatal health. Exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life is recommended by the World Health Organization to reduce infant morbidity and mortality. Despite these benefits, many mothers discontinue exclusive breastfeeding earlier than advised, due to various nutritional, psychological, and health-related factors. Objective: To determine the prevalence of mothers not exclusively breastfeeding. To assess the factors associated with earlier cessation of exclusive breastfeeding. Methods: A cross-sectional prevalence study was conducted over a period of six months (January–June 2019) in the Pediatric and Gynecology wards of Rehman Medical Institute and Northwest General Hospital in Peshawar. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire from 200 mothers through systematic random sampling. Inclusion criteria included mothers aged 18 years or older with infants born after 35 weeks of gestation weighing ≥2.5 kg. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 15.0 to identify descriptive statistics and frequency distributions. Results: The mean maternal age was 31.72 years, and the average family size was 2.17 children. Among the participants, 71% resided in urban areas, and 83% were housewives. A total of 193 mothers (96.5%) breastfed their infants, but only 80 (40%) maintained exclusive breastfeeding for six months, while 113 (56.5%) discontinued earlier. The primary reasons reported for early cessation included insufficient milk production in 73.5% of cases, unmet infant needs (63.7%), maternal employment (8.8%), infant illness (14.1%), and maternal illness (10.6%). Conclusion: More than half of the mothers failed to continue exclusive breastfeeding for the recommended six-month duration. Targeted education and support are essential to address misconceptions and promote sustained breastfeeding practices.