Breastfeeding has well-established short-term benefits, particularly the reduction of morbidity and mortality due to infectious diseases in childhood. The World Health Organization has issued directives as to how health professionals involved in the care of the breastfeeding mother should protect, promote, and support breastfeeding. Our objectives were to assess the attitudes of health professionals (physicians and nurses) towards breastfeeding and identify if the professional and breastfeeding contexts influence these attitudes. We found that the largest percentage of health professionals (40.2%) has a positive attitude towards breastfeeding, while 35.6% show a negative attitude. Older professionals (age>=46 years) have a less positive attitude in the dimension “general counseling regarding breastfeeding”. Professionals with children show a positive attitude in the dimension “importance/interest regarding breastfeeding”. The professionals without children, nurses and those working in the hospital have a more positive attitude in the dimension “decision to not breastfeed”. Nurses demonstrate a positive attitude towards the “decision to not breastfeed” and “general counseling about breastfeeding”. Being a specialist does not influence attitude, but maternal and child health care specialists tend to favor the attitude towards “the decision to not breastfeed”, “beliefs about breastfeeding”, “importance/interest regarding breastfeeding” and “general counseling about breastfeeding”. The professionals, who have contact with breastfeed women and have attended training courses on breastfeeding in the last year, have a more positive attitude towards “importance/interest regarding breastfeeding”. Professionals with less experience (<=5 years) have a less positive attitude in “importance/interest regarding breastfeeding”. A previous pleasant experience with breastfeeding is related to a more positive attitude in “general counseling regarding breastfeeding”, “beliefs about breastfeeding”. The nurses and doctors who breastfed their children longer (13–24 months) have a more positive attitude towards “general counseling regarding breastfeeding”. Identifying the factors which negatively influence the attitude of health professionals towards breastfeeding allows us to minimize them.