Research by Palmquist, Doehler highlighted in popular motherhood news site

Romper, a popular online news site exploring a wide variety of motherhood topics, recently featured the research of Elon professors Aunchalee Palmquist and Kirstie Doehler about women who connect online to share breast milk. 

The article by Romper’s Mary Sauer titled “Meet the Moms Who Feed Their Babies Donated Breast Milk” draws from research that Palmquist, assistant professor of sociology and anthropology, and Doehler, associate professor of statistics, published in the journal Social Science and Medicine that explored the characteristics of women who donate their own breast milk and those women who use donated breast milk. 

The article noted the findings that women involved in milk-sharing who connect online are largely middle class, with nearly all recipients meeting the donors face-to-face before accepting milk. 

“However, there is a significant income disparity between donor and recipient, with donors reporting a median annual income of $72,500 versus recipients’ annual income of $57,500,” the article notes, citing the research by Palmquist and Doehler. “Donors also reported having received more breastfeeding support from both family and health practitioners, as well as higher education levels.”