Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, England.
Salomons Centre for Applied Psychology, Canterbury Christ Church University, Kent, UK.
Int Breastfeed J. 2022 Jan 4;17(1):5. doi: 10.1186/s13006-021-00445-6.
Milk sharing is not a new concept and occurs today via regulated human milk banks and unregulated online milk sharing groups. Exploring and understanding how, and why, mothers use these peers to peer milk sharing groups, is a vehicle to understanding how breastfeeding mothers can be tangibly supported online, adding to the literature on peer milk sharing, from a recipient's perspective. This research presents a single case example of an online breastfeeding support group use, through one mother's experiencing of seeking human donor milk.
This is a qualitative, exploratory study observing the attitudes, thoughts, and feelings of one mother who is seeking human donor milk through online groups. A single key case was identified, and the participant was asked to document thoughts and feelings as she searched for milk online. A telephone interview was conducted after two months, and the online page activity from the Human Milk for Human Babies Facebook group was captured for the week following the interview. The results were presented in a chronological and linear analytical approach adopting pattern matching.
'Abbi' is a mother who has Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and subsequent low milk supply and sought donor breastmilk online. Online support groups introduced her to donor milk sharing, which not only supported her breastfeeding but supported her own mental health. Abbi talks of the need to build a trusting relationship with her donor, due to the lack of regulation, and the positive impact it had for her and 'Lucas', her baby.
Considering milk sharing groups simply as tangible online support ignores the complexities around Abbi's decision to use human donor milk. Peer milk sharing online is an option for mothers, but it is surrounded by stigma amongst other mothers, professionals, and even within pro breastfeeding support groups.
母乳分享并不是一个新概念，如今可以通过受监管的人乳库和不受监管的在线母乳分享群组进行。探索和了解母亲如何以及为何使用这些同侪来进行母乳分享，是理解如何在网上切实支持母乳喂养母亲的一种手段，从接受者的角度补充了关于同侪母乳分享的文献。本研究通过一位母亲寻求人乳捐赠的经历，展示了一个在线母乳喂养支持小组使用的案例。
这是一项定性探索性研究，观察了一位母亲通过在线小组寻求人乳捐赠时的态度、想法和感受。确定了一个单一的关键案例，并要求参与者记录她在网上寻找母乳时的想法和感受。两个月后进行了电话访谈，并在访谈后的一周内捕获了 Human Milk for Human Babies Facebook 群组的在线页面活动。结果以采用模式匹配的顺序和线性分析方法呈现。
Abbi 是一位患有多囊卵巢综合征的母亲，随后出现乳汁供应不足的情况，她在网上寻求捐赠母乳。在线支持小组向她介绍了捐赠母乳分享，这不仅支持了她的母乳喂养，还支持了她的心理健康。Abbi 谈到由于缺乏监管，她需要与捐赠者建立信任关系，这对她和她的孩子“Lucas”都有积极的影响。
仅仅将母乳分享小组视为有形的在线支持，忽略了 Abbi 决定使用人乳捐赠的复杂性。在线同侪母乳分享是母亲的一种选择，但它受到其他母亲、专业人士甚至支持母乳喂养的支持小组的污名化。
