The aims were to determine Spanish women's expectations about exclusive breastfeeding (EB) and the effect of expectations and other factors on EB during the first 6 months. A prospective cohort study was conducted with 236 participants. Variables were maternal age, marital status, occupation, expectations about breastfeeding, knowledge about breastfeeding, type of delivery, type of feeding, and duration of EB. Data were collected through three personal interviews, at the hospital (before delivery) and in two telephone calls in the first and sixth months postpartum. Average age was 32.3 years (SD = 5.3); average duration of EB was 2.73 months (SD = 2.49). Of 236 women who had decided to breastfeed before birth, 201 (85.2%) offered EB after delivery. Achievement of expectations was most influenced by the decision to continue breastfeeding 'as long as I can' (OR: 5.4; CI: 2.0-14.6) and previous experience (OR: 3.2; CI: 1.2-8.5). Knowledge of breastfeeding acquired from relatives (OR: 9.2; CI: 3.0-27.9), caesarean delivery (OR: 4.6; CI: 1.7-12.8) and maternal age (36-40 years old) (OR: 7.5; CI: 1.8-30.9) were associated with failure to achieve EB. Achievement of EB may depend on a woman's confidence in her ability to do so and on knowledge obtained in the social environment.
Keywords: breastfeeding; exclusive breastfeeding; expectations; failure to meet expectations; influencing factors; self-efficacy of breastfeeding.