Table 1.

Feeding intentions, practices, and rationale

Participant's details	Sociodemographics	Health care	Intended feeding method	Antenatal feeding intention and rationale	Age when other liquids or solids introduced	Rationale for maintenance of EBF/change in feeding practice	Ongoing feeding prractice
Rural 02:
Age: 36 years Education level completed: grade 12 Still at school: no Employed: no	Main source of drinking water: river water/dam/lake/pond Toilet type: pit latrine Household connected to electricity: no	Number of ANC visits: four Visited by a CHW during pregnancy: no Currently taking ART: yes HIV status disclosed to significant others: not recorded	EBF	“I chose to breastfeed him because there is a bond between me and him. He can see that I am his mother and it is healthy, it protects him against diseases”	2 months	“I give him gripe water once a day as it cleans his stomach and help with his bowel movement”	Breastfeeding continued to 6 months, gripe water was the only other fluid given during that period. Mother plans to continue breastfeeding beyond 6 months
Rural 04:
Age: 34 years Education level completed: grade 11 Still at school: no Employed: no	Main source of drinking water: river water/dam/lake/pond Toilet type: ventilated pit latrine Household connected to electricity: no	Number of ANC visits: six Visited by a CHW during pregnancy: no HIV CARE Currently taking ART: yes HIV status disclosed to significant others: yes	EBF	“I think … I didn't have much knowledge because when I found out that I must breastfeed exclusively and not give the baby other food, I thought they are saying that because I'm positive until the nurses explained to me that, ‘no, everyone must breastfeed exclusively for 6 months’ whether positive or negative and then I made a decision to breastfeed exclusively”	6 months	“I think I won't be able to afford formula milk because it's expensive, he will continue with breast milk until he's 12 months. Also, I wouldn't know whether he will be infected from mixed feeding and I told myself that it better to feed him breast milk only”	Breastfeeding continued, mother plans to continue beyond 6 months
Rural 08:
Age: 26 years Education level completed: grade 1 Still at school: no but intends to return Employed: no   No longer in a relationship with the child's father	Main source of drinking water: public tap Toilet type: bush/veld/no toilet Household connected to electricity: no	Number of ANC visits: five Visited by a CHW during pregnancy: yes Taking ART: yes HIV status disclosed to significant others: NOT disclosed to significant others	EBF	“At the clinic they said the baby must breastfeed for 6 months before you mixed feed”	4 months	“I was not happy with his body weight. The neighbours also commented that if he doesn't eat he will get sick, from there on I regretted giving breastmilk only and just gave the baby real food”	Mixed fed for a month and breastfeeding stopped abruptly at 5 months because of pressure from family and neighbours
Rural 09:
Age: 21 years Education level completed: grade 10 Still at school: no but intend to return to complete her education Employed: no	Main source of drinking water: piped water in another yard Toilet type: ventilated pit latrine Household connected to electricity: yes	Number of ANC visits: four Visited by a CHW during pregnancy: yes Taking ART: yes HIV status disclosed to significant others: NOT disclosed to significant others	EBF	“The sisters (nurses) from the hospital, they told us that how important it is to breastfeed and I thought it better to breastfeed him for these 6 months and stop and give other foods”	4 months	“He was not getting full and my milk was not coming out well”	Breastfeeding stopped abruptly at 4 months due to perceived insufficient milk
Rural 11:
Age: 38 years Education level completed: grade 4 Still at school: no Employed: no	Main source of drinking water: piped water in the yard Toilet type: ventilated pit latrine Household connected to electricity: no	Number of ANC visits: five Visited by a CHW during pregnancy: no Taking ART: yes HIV status disclosed to significant others: yes	EBF	“I wanted to FF, but changed my mind when they (nurses) told me that even though I have this problem (HIV) I can breastfeed then I change my mind to exclusive breastfeeding”	6 months	“He gets healthy; he is protected from diseases. Breast milk is healthy”	Intentions to continue breastfeeding not stated
Rural 18:
Age: 28 years Education level completed: grade 11 Still at school: no Employed: yes	Main source of drinking water: piped water in the yard Toilet type: ventilated pit latrine Household connected to electricity: no	Number of ANC visits: eight Visited by a CHW during pregnancy: yes Taking ART: yes HIV status disclosed to significant others: not recorded	EFF	“My problem is that I don't trust myself because I'm HIV positive so now I don't like the baby to suck my breasts. Sometimes the breasts do develop sores and that means the baby will go hungry just because you have a sore in your breast. The baby sometimes develop thrush in his tongue, when you clean this thrush he can get hurt and then you breastfeed him with wounded breast then the baby become infected yet he was born negative so you must keep him negative and think about his future”	3 days		Gave breastmilk for 3 days while in hospital. Mother reported this was because there was no formula milk available at the hospital. Changed to exclusive formula feeding after arriving home
Rural 24:
Age: 34 years Education level completed: grade 11 Still at school: no Employed: yes	Main source of drinking water: river/dam/lake Toilet type: ventilated pit latrine Household connected to electricity: no	Number of ANC visits: one Visited by a CHW during pregnancy: no Currently taking ART: yes HIV status disclosed to significant others: not recorded	EBF	“It is because, sister, I'm not working, it (breastmilk) would have helped him to grow well and not get hungry because he would always get milk from my breasts. But because he was not getting full I couldn't deprive him of what he wants so I bought (formula milk)”	1 week	“He cried when I breastfed him. I bought formula milk because I thought he's hungry, my breast are not producing enough milk”	Breastfeeding stopped after 1 week due to perceived insufficient milk
Urban 03:
Age: 34 years Education level completed: grade 12 Still at school: no Employed: yes	Main source of drinking water: piped inside the house Toilet type: flush toilet inside the house Household connected to electricity: yes	Number of ANC visits: six Visited by a CHW during pregnancy: no Taking ART: yes HIV status disclosed to significant others: yes	EBF	“I breastfed my older children before but I breastfed without any knowledge so when they told me that I can still breastfeed, I chose to exclusively breastfeed”	3 months	“I have decided to go back to work on the 1st and I am scared that the nanny/aunt will give her water, medicine which is wrong when I am away, so I decided to change her to formula”	Breastfeeding stopped abruptly at 3 months because she returned to work
Urban 07:
Age: 41 years Education level completed: grade 11 School: no Employed: no Relationship status: still in a relationship with the father	Main source of drinking water: piped inside the house Toilet type: flush toilet inside the house Household connected to electricity: yes	Number of ANC visits: six Visited by a CHW during pregnancy: no Currently taking ART: yes HIV status disclosed to significant others: yes	EBF	“I want to prove what the nurses said, that I can have a baby who is negative while I am positive”	6 months	“What keeps me going is that I like that he doesn't get sick, he never suffer from fever, nose‐blocking or sneezing and I can see that breast milk is really healthy food for him”	Breastfeeding stopped abruptly at 6 months
Urban 47:
Age: 39 years Education level completed: grade 12 Still at school: no Employed: yes	Main source of drinking water: piped inside the house Toilet type: flush toilet inside the house Household connected to electricity: yes	Number of ANC visits: three Visited by a CHW during pregnancy: no Currently taking ART: yes HIV status disclosed to significant others: yes	EBF	“I would not be able to afford formula”	5 months	“I noticed that she's crying a lot and I think maybe it because she's not full then I decided, let me try feeding him the small purity [baby food], you know then she ate it and finished the whole bottle and I realised that oh the problem was in his stomach because after he finished eating purity he didn't cry that much”	Breastfeeding continued, mother plans to continue breastfeeding beyond 6 months
Urban 48:
Age: 18 years Education level completed: grade 12 Still at school: no but intends to continue with her education Employed: no Relationship status: NOT still in a relationship with the father	Main source of drinking water: piped inside the house Toilet type: flush toilet inside the house Household connected to electricity: yes	Number of ANC visits: four Visited by a CHW during pregnancy: no Taking ART: yes HIV status disclosed to significant others: yes	EFF	“I knew that I cannot breastfeed. One, because of my status, it's too risky, the chance of him contracting it (HIV), uh, it is great. They (nurses) might not say it (is) that great but … I don't want to take a chance. Two, because I want to go and work, he's still young I have to work and provide for him”	Not applicable

Note. CHW: community health workers; ART: antiretroviral therapy; EBF: exclusively breastfeed; EFF: exclusively formula feed; ANC: antenatal clinics.