Reyes-Foster Beatriz M, Carter Shannon K, Hinojosa Melanie Sberna
1 Department of Anthropology, University of Central Florida , Orlando, Florida.
2 Department of Sociology, University of Central Florida , Orlando, Florida.
Breastfeed Med. 2015 Jun;10(5):263-9. doi: 10.1089/bfm.2015.0009. Epub 2015 May 14.
Peer breastmilk sharing has emerged in recent years as a subject of investigation and occasional controversy. Although researchers know that thousands of milk exchanges are facilitated through milk sharing Web sites every week, there is only limited research into milk sharing practices on the ground. This study examines these practices through a 102-item online survey that asked questions about milk sharing practices, perceptions of milk sharing, and demographic characteristics. Participants were recruited through social media sites specific to breastfeeding and parenting events in Central Florida. The sample consisted of 392 respondents. Data were analyzed using univariate analysis. We found that breastmilk sharing is a complex practice, showing high levels of overlap in which some donors are also recipients, and that cross-nursing sometimes occurs simultaneously with the exchange of expressed milk. Respondents often donated and received milk from people they knew; however, exchanging milk with strangers was also common. Many but not all used the Internet to facilitate milk exchange; participants used well-known milk sharing Web sites as well as their private virtual networks. The study found that most milk exchanges happen in-person as gifts and that selling and shipping breastmilk were rare. We suggest that further research is needed on breastmilk sharing practices to inform breastmilk safety research and policy recommendations.
近年来，母乳共享已成为一个研究课题，偶尔也会引发争议。尽管研究人员知道每周通过母乳共享网站促成的母乳交换有数千次，但实地关于母乳共享行为的研究却很有限。本研究通过一项包含102个问题的在线调查来考察这些行为，该调查询问了有关母乳共享行为、对母乳共享的看法以及人口统计学特征等问题。参与者是通过佛罗里达州中部特定的母乳喂养和育儿活动的社交媒体网站招募的。样本包括392名受访者。数据采用单变量分析。我们发现，母乳共享是一种复杂的行为，一些捐赠者同时也是接受者的情况高度重叠，而且交叉哺乳有时会与挤奶的交换同时发生。受访者经常与他们认识的人捐赠和接受母乳；然而，与陌生人交换母乳也很常见。许多但并非所有受访者利用互联网来促成母乳交换；参与者使用知名的母乳共享网站以及他们的私人虚拟网络。研究发现，大多数母乳交换是作为礼物亲自进行的，而出售和运送母乳的情况很少见。我们建议需要对母乳共享行为进行进一步研究，以为母乳安全研究和政策建议提供信息。
