Objective: To determine factors related to health care support which are associated with breast feeding success in the early postpartum period. Design/Methods: Prospective 8 week cohort study of 522 women delivered vaginally and who intended to breast feed for ≥4 weeks. In person interviews in the hospital postpartum and 4 and 8 week telephone interviews were used to determine participants' perceptions of breast feeding support by hospital personnel, home visit nurses and family, and to determine which demographic and support characteristics predict continued breast feeding at 4 and 8 weeks. Results: 522 women comprised the cohort. Mean maternal age was 29.3 years, 40% were primiparous, 89% white, 56% had a college degree and 91% had commercial insurance. Successful breast feeding was defined as breast feeding for at least the duration initially planned by the mother. Women who were uncertain (n=69) were classified as successful if they breast fed a minimum of 4 weeks. 87% planned to breast feed ≥4 weeks and 71% planned to breast feed ≥8 weeks. 399 or 76% successfully breast fed as planned. Of the 74% of women who had a home visit, 55% classified the visit as helpful with regard to breast feeding. On univariate analysis, maternal age, presence of home visit, supportive dad, planned duration of breast feeding, maternal education, and hospital experience with breast feeding correlated with breast feeding success. Breast feeding success was not significantly correlated with parity, race, insurance status, duration of interval the baby was in the room with the mother, gestational age, or birth weight. On multivariate analysis, the factors that were significantly associated with“successful” breast feeding included maternal graduate education(OR=3.12, CI=1.84, 5.28), breast feeding experience in hospital (OR=1.49, CI=1.31, 1.69), and use of home visit (OR=1.59, CI=1.23, 2.06). Of those women who had a home visit, the quality of the home visit was significantly related to breast feeding success (OR=1.78, CI=1.50, 2.11, p<.001). Post-discharge use of resources such as friends, family, lactation consultant, or other health care providers did not impact breast feeding success.Conclusion: In this highly motivated group, maternal rating of hospital and home visit support of breast feeding significantly correlated with breast feeding success.