Objectives: to determine the characteristics and maternal beliefs about the cessation of exclusive breastfeeding. Methods: observational, descriptive and cross-sectional study of 239 women who had given birth and had gone to the Service for child growth and development located in the Regional Hospital of Ica department in Peru. The bivariate study required dichotomizing the study variables. The Chi-square test was used for categorical variables whereas the Student´s t test served to compare the differences among averages when variables were numerical. Results: sixty nine mothers (28.87%), aged 23.54 years as average (CI 95% 22.24-22.84), ceased to breastfeed their children whereas those mothers continue breastfeeding were 24.85 years-old as average (CI 95%: 23.94-25.76) (p= 0.121). Incorrect beliefs such as “breastfeeding is painful”, “Breastfeeding is the best way of managing my baby´s feeding” and “breastfeeding damages my body image” as well as the disagreement of mothers with the statements “Exclusive breastfeeding is enough to satisfy the baby´s hunger“and “Exclusive breastfeeding is enough for my baby to gain weight” were associated to a higher number of mothers who ceased exclusive breastfeeding (p< 0.05). Conclusions: Incorrect maternal beliefs are related to the cessation of exclusive breastfeeding.