Introduction:

Breastfeeding is an important activity for the healthy development of the newborn, but nevertheless the benefits, the decision of women to avoid breastfeeding is becoming more prevalent in Mexico City. Perhaps this decision is the result of the influence of the globalization process with its cultural model change from the modern to the postmodern.

Objective:

To better understand the perspective of Mexican women regarding breastfeeding or not breastfeeding and the relationship of this decision with the cultural model change.

Methodology:

This is a qualitative, descriptive, and exploratory study on 12 mothers in Mexico City, who decided to terminate breastfeeding their babies. In-Depth interviews were conducted. The gathered data were recorded, transcribed, and coded in order to procure rigour of research.

Results:

Two categories related to the cultural model that reflect why women breastfeed or not were identified. In the modern model, women consider breastfeeding as a solid conviction which has benefits to their babies, while in the postmodern model, women tend to have a negative image of breastfeeding.

Conclusions:

From the association of breastfeeding with the cultural models, in the modern model, women consider breastfeeding as a duty, while in the postmodern one, women consider breastfeeding as a right. Currently, we are in a transition between these possibly contradicting cultural models. Therefore, better understanding these phenomena can help nursing professionals design strategies which can foster a healthy decision on breastfeeding.