About The Study: In this large, diverse sample of first-time mothers in the U.S., 1 in 27 participants reported feeding their infants shared human milk. Prior work indicates that families engage in many, but not all, recommended milk sharing risk mitigation measures and fear disclosing their milk sharing to practitioners. Given the prevalence in this study, pediatric practitioners should be aware that milk sharing occurs across demographics; they can counsel families considering or using shared milk on risks and risk-reduction strategies recommended by the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine and the American Academy of Nursing, while noting that evidence on home pasteurization is still evolving.
Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Jill R. Demirci, PhD, email jvr5@pitt.edu.
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(doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.42036)
Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support.
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