Scientific Mothering, Morality and Peer Milk Sharing: Milk Sharers' Responses to a Scientific Study

• In Event: 035 - Section on Sex and Gender Roundtables (one-hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 15. Mothering Choices

Abstract

A study published in the journal Pediatrics in 2013 found unsafe levels of bacteria in breast milk bought online. A host of media forums (e.g., newspapers, blogs, public radio) reported the corresponding conclusion that peer breast milk sharing is dangerous. This article presents results from an online survey distributed to women who share milk about their knowledge and opinions regarding the Pediatrics study. Approximately half of participants were aware of the study at the time of the survey. Qualitative evaluations of the study revealed that women who peer milk share used scientific language to question scientific authority, view the sale of milk as morally wrong, and at times expressed ambivalence about the practice itself. These findings suggest that while scientific mothering remains a strong archetype in contemporary mothering for mothers who milk share, the practice of milk sharing is heavily laden with symbolic meaning tied to discourses of purity, morality, and affect.

Authors

• Shannon K. Carter, University of Central Florida

• Beatriz Reyes-Foster, University of Central Florida