Dowling Sally, Grant Aimee
Department of Nursing and Midwifery, University of the West of England, Bristol, Bristol, UK.
Independent Researcher, Cardiff, UK.
Matern Child Nutr. 2021 Jul;17(3):e13139. doi: 10.1111/mcn.13139. Epub 2021 Jan 6.
Breastmilk sharing via the internet has become more popular in recent years, with a resultant increase in media attention. It is actively discouraged by public health bodies in at least three countries. We undertook a qualitative analysis of worldwide English language news media (online newspaper articles and transcripts of television and radio pieces) focusing on peer-to-peer breastmilk sharing during a 24-month period (2015-2016). One hundred eleven news articles were analysed semiotically for positive (n = 49) and negative (n = 90) depictions of breastmilk sharing and the actors involved. Three countries published the majority of the articles: United States (n = 42), United Kingdom (n = 24) and Australia (n = 20). Topics associated with using shared breastmilk included perceived insufficiency, having surgery or taking medication, or the prematurity of the baby. Reports of women who gave and received breastmilk were largely positive although sometimes confused with women who sell breastmilk, who were demonised. The breastmilk itself, however, was considered as potentially contaminated and possibly dangerous; calls for action (n = 33) focused on increasing regulation and safety. Peer-to-peer milk sharing and the commercial availability of human milk are activities that occur within social and cultural contexts, and, as such, the ways in which they are represented in the news media reflect the ways in which they are also represented more widely in society. Increased understanding of normal infant feeding practices is needed, alongside guidance on how to better support breastfeeding. News media outlets can facilitate this through reporting risk in line with evidence. Further research should be undertaken to understand the safety of breastmilk sharing and the experience of those who participate.
近年来，通过互联网分享母乳的现象愈发普遍，媒体对此的关注度也随之上升。至少有三个国家的公共卫生机构积极劝阻这种行为。我们对全球范围内的英语新闻媒体（在线报纸文章以及电视和广播节目的文字记录）进行了定性分析，重点关注2015年至2016年这24个月期间的点对点母乳分享情况。我们对111篇新闻文章进行了符号学分析，以了解对母乳分享及相关行为者的正面（n = 49）和负面（n = 90）描述。大部分文章来自三个国家：美国（n = 42）、英国（n = 24）和澳大利亚（n = 20）。与使用共享母乳相关的话题包括母乳不足、进行手术或服药，以及婴儿早产等。提供和接受母乳的女性报道大多是正面的，尽管有时会与被妖魔化的母乳销售女性混淆。然而，母乳本身被认为可能受到污染且存在潜在危险；要求采取行动的呼声（n = 33）集中在加强监管和提高安全性方面。点对点母乳分享和人乳的商业供应是在社会和文化背景下发生的活动，因此，它们在新闻媒体中的呈现方式反映了它们在更广泛社会中的呈现方式。需要加强对正常婴儿喂养方式的了解，并提供如何更好地支持母乳喂养的指导。新闻媒体可以通过依据证据报道风险来促进这一点。应进一步开展研究，以了解母乳分享的安全性以及参与者的经历。
