BACKGROUND:
After an earthquake, decrease or cessation of breast milk may be observed due to reasons such as stress, insomnia, poor nutrition. After an earthquake, it’s of great importance to ensure women have access to preventive health services specific to their breastfeeding process.

OBJECTIVES:
Aim was to determinebreastfeeding continuation status of women living in Hatay in Turkiye province whose breastfeeding processes intersected with earthquake time, factors affecting the breastfeeding process.

METHODS:
Research was conducted in container cities in Hatay province between 11-22 March 2024 as retrospective descriptive study within the scope of TÜBİTAK 2209-A University Students Research Projects Support Program. Women whose breastfeeding processes coincided with earthquake, who lived in tent cities/container cities afterwards were included in study. Data were collected face to face using data collection form created by researchers as result of literature review.

RESULTS:
217 women were included in study. Mean age of women was 28.45±5.45. 42.9% of women were primary school graduates, 95.4% were housewives, 57.6% lived in city center for longest time. 59% of women had exclusively breastfed their babies before earthquake, 43.3% continued to breastfeed them mostly after earthquake. When factors facilitated breastfeeding after earthquake were examined, majority of women stated there was no factor facilitated breastfeeding (31.8%), 29.5% continued breastfeeding only to keep their babies alive. After earthquake, 30.4% of the women listed failure to meet basic living needs, 22.6% the failure to provide privacy, and 21.7% psychological reasons as factors that prevented breastfeeding.

CONCLUSIONS:
It’s very important to continue providing exceptional, qualified, holistic, individualized care to women who are breastfeeding after earthquake.

KEY MESSAGE:
Midwives need to anticipate needs of women who are breastfeeding after earthquake, enrich content of care provided accordingly, take on leadership role in post-earthquake health services Humanitarian 1 (including three-minute presentation competition)