Table 1 Perceived effects of exclusive breastfeeding on maternal and infant health

Effects of exclusive breastfeeding on maternal health

• EBF promotes good nutritional habits for mothers.

• “Yes, there can be a good thing to the mother too if she exclusively breastfeeds in that she forces herself to eat more to produce more milk too”. (Interviewee₂)

• EBF is self-satisfying for the mother.

• “….the mother feels good if she exclusively breastfeeds her baby. You feel like you have done the best for your baby and you are happy”. (Interviewee₁₆)

• EBF prevents pregnancy.

• “… Some say that if one exclusively breastfeeds her baby, she does not get pregnant soon”. (FG1P₅)

EBF leads to maternal ill-health.

• “The mother’s body becomes weak if she exclusively breastfeeds her baby. She falls sick often too”. (FG2)

Effects of exclusive breastfeeding on infant health

• EBF promotes the well-being of the baby.

• “…A baby who is exclusively breastfed becomes strong, does not get sick often and if he gets diarrhea it does not take long before it is resolved…” (Intervieew₁₆)

• EBF is an expression of maternal love for her baby.

• “The baby will know that the mother loves him very much if she exclusively breastfeed him. It is a way of showing love to your baby”. (Interviewee₆)

• EBF prevents MTCT of HIV.

• “Exclusive breastfeeding can also help the baby not to get the virus because there will be no diarrhea if the baby continues to exclusively breastfeed because the virus cannot penetrate the gastro-intestinal tract”. (N-M₂)

• Breastfeeding transmits HIV to the baby.

• “…If the baby does not develop diarrhea while being breastfed, it will not contract the disease [HIV]… (Intervieew₁₃)

• “…it is not right for the HIV-positive mother to exclusively breastfeed her baby because the baby can get the HIV virus from the mother”. (Interviewee₁₅)