Peer-to-Peer Human Milk Sharing Through Social Media Groups: The Experiences of Women Donors and Recipients in Hong Kong.
Junyan Li, Hoi Lam Ip, Qiuyan Liao and 2 others
PMID 39373552WHAT IT FOUND
Hong Kong mothers shared unpasteurised breast milk through social media because donors had surplus and recipients had low supply and valued breast milk.
They valued trust and convenience but wanted formal milk banks for safety, while fearing healthy babies would be excluded.
Key findings
01Many donors described sharing surplus milk because they were overproducing and running out of storage space.
02Recipients commonly sought donated milk because of inadequate milk production and a belief that breast milk was the best feeding option, even if used with other supplements.
03Participants preferred formal milk banks as a solution to the limitations of informal sharing, but recipients feared being excluded because their infants were healthy full-term.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample was skewed toward higher education and income, so lower education and income experiences may be missing. Recruitment was limited to Facebook and to groups already involved in milk sharing, so mothers who use other platforms or no social media were not represented. Nearly half of participants had substantial exposure to other countries, which may have shaped attitudes toward milk sharing. Interviews in public cafes may have influenced how comfortable participants were discussing the topic.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. Funding came from the Health and Medical Research Fund (HMRF).
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that peer-to-peer milk sharing is safe. It reports women's experiences and preferences, and the paper states that informal sharing without screening and pasteurisation may expose infants to infectious diseases, pharmaceuticals and drugs.