Determining the views of breastfeeding mothers with 0-12 months old babies about the breast milk bank

This study was conducted to determine the views of breastfeeding mothers with 0-12 months old babies about breast milk banks. It is a descriptive and cross-sectional study. The research was carried out between October 2021 and September 2022 on mothers who applied to Mersin City Research and Application Hospital Gynecology and Obstetrics Polyclinic and Pediatrics Polyclinic, with 0-12 month old babies and breastfeeding mothers. The sample of the study consisted of 160 mothers who applied to the polyclinics mentioned above and volunteered to participate in the study. "Descriptive Information Form" and "Opinions on Breast Milk Bank" were used to collect data. Number and percentage values and the chi-square test were used in the evaluation of the data. The study determined that 55,0% of the mothers were in the 20-29 age group, 50,0% had secondary-high school education, 90,0% were not working, and 60,6% had less than their income. It has been determined that the views of mothers about the establishment of a breast milk bank are mostly positive, they find it correct to run the breast milk banks by the Ministry of Health, and they believe that the established breast milk banks can become commercial establishments in the future, and the views that it is not appropriate for babies fed from milk banks to marry in the future are dominant. It has been determined that the mothers'views about the breast milk bank are affected by their age, education level, and income level, but not by the number of living children. To eliminate the society's lack of information and concerns about breast milk banks, it has been suggested to conduct training for the society supported by the Ministry of Health through mass media.