Abstract
This study examined the main factors that influence B angladeshi women living in L ondon's decisions to partially breastfeed their children, including the influence of older women within the community. Fifty‐seven women of B angladeshi origin living in the L ondon B orough of T ower H amlets took part in seven discussion groups between A pril and J une 2013. Five groups were held with women of child‐bearing age and two groups with older women in the community. A further eight younger women and three older women took part in one‐on‐one interviews. Interviews were also carried out with eight local health care workers, including public health specialists, peer support workers, breastfeeding coordinators and a health visitor. The influences on women's infant feeding choices can be understood through a ‘socio‐ecological model’, including public health policy; diverse cultural influences from B angladesh, London and the B angladeshi community in L ondon; and the impacts of migration and religious and family beliefs. The women's commitment to breastfeeding was mediated through the complexity of their everyday lives. The tension between what was ‘best’ and what was ‘possible’ leads them not only to partially breastfeed but also to sustain partial breastfeeding in a way not seen in other socio‐cultural groups in the United Kingdom.