Table 4.

Maternal and child experiences reported after breastfeeding cessation (N = 420)

A. Maternal positive experience profile (mutually exclusive)
Outcome	n	%
Feeling relieved from breastfeeding-related difficulties	220	52.4
Feeling calm and relieved	63	15
Feeling relieved with increased sexual desire	57	13.6
Feeling calm, relieved, and increased sexual desire	33	7.9
Increased sexual desire	22	5.2
No positive outcomes reported	25	6
Total	420	100
B. Maternal physical and emotional experiences*
Outcome	n	%
Feeling guilty	125	29.8
Feeling regretful	118	28.1
Breast pain	132	31.4
Lactation-related fever	17	4
Breast engorgement	133	31.7
Sadness	37	8.8
Subsequent pregnancy	2	0.5
Social withdrawal	13	3.1
Fear and concern about child’s health	103	24.5
Feeling empty	16	3.8
C. Child experiences*
Outcome	n	%
Diarrhea and vomiting	10	2.4
Nail biting or teeth grinding	18	4.3
Fever and fatigue	28	6.7
Distress (e.g., crying, restlessness, irritability)	366	87.1
Weight loss or malnutrition	31	7.4
Constipation	42	10
Increased inclination toward formula milk	123	29.3
Increased desire to be held	89	21.2
Increased desire for food / improved appetite	249	59.3
Increased independence	215	51.2
Increased self-reliance	213	50.7
Greater liveliness	16	3.8
Improved weight gain	48	11.4

*Participants could report multiple experiences; therefore, percentages do not sum to 100%