Background:
The benefits of breastfeeding concern both the health of the mother than that of her child, and are observed at short and long term, resulting in a reduction in infantile morbidity and mortality.WHO recommends exclusive maternal breastfeeding during the six first months of the baby life. However, breastfeeding rates are still below the desired expectation. The aim of this study was to assess the perceptions of healthcare workers (HCW) regarding early weaning from breastfeeding and to study the factors associated with this practice.

Methods:
This cross-sectional study was conducted over a period of 2 months among HCW at the Farhat Hached teaching hospital who have at least one child under the age of five years. Early weaning was defined as the cessation of exclusive breastfeeding before the age of 3 months.

Results:
A total of 100 women participated in this study. The mean age was 38±9.1 years. Nurses were the most represented occupational category (54%) with an average seniority of 9.9±9 years. Early weaning was reported in 58.3% of cases, imposed by obligations in 48.4% of cases. Satisfaction with the duration of breastfeeding was reported in 53% of cases. The main causes of early weaning were lack of sleep (53.3%), nervousness, stress and depression (40%) and lack of time (38.3%). After univariate analysis, only skin-to-skin contact was significantly associated with continued breastfeeding (p<0.001).

Conclusion:
Promoting the continuity of breastfeeding for HCW mothers should be a priority for decision makers. Thus a cooperative attitude must be encouraged in the workplace, to promote breastfeeding practices.