Non-nutritional “paramedical” usage of human milk — knowledge and opinion of breastfeeding mothers in Poland

Abstract

Objectives: The objective of this study is to understand knowledge, attitudes and practices of non-nutritional breast milk use among lactating women in respect of skin diseases and other frequent ailments. Material and methods: The study, in the form of a questionnaire, spread on social media, was targeted at breastfeeding women. The questionnaire consisted of questions regarding the knowledge of non-nutritional usage of human milk, its use in practice, subjective opinion on the observed results and inclination towards future use. Chi-square tests and c-Pearson coefficients were used for statistical calculations. Results: A total of 1187 responses were acted upon. In the study group, 879 women claimed to have knowledge of non-nutritional use of human milk in respect of skin and most common ailments, whilst 688 of them claimed to use at least one usage. The most frequently, breast milk was used for: care of cracked nipples, care of healthy skin, treatment of diaper dermatitis and treatment of neonatal acne. A correlation between duration of breastfeeding (p < 0.05) and gestational age (p < 0.05) and practical use of non-nutritional human milk was found. Conclusions: The study showed a great enthusiasm of mothers in respect of using breast milk for non-nutritional purposes, including the treatment of skin diseases and other common ailments. However, given the scant studies determining possible concerns surrounding these methods, there is a requirement for parental education with emphasis on the need for prompt medical examination and pertinent treatment.

Topical Use of Human Milk in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

“…A few of the articles studied were qualitative in nature 26–28. A survey done in Poland had the aim of surveying mothers on their knowledge, attitudes, and practices of HM as a topical treatment for mucosal infections 26,27.…”

“…[26][27][28] A survey done in Poland had the aim of surveying mothers on their knowledge, attitudes, and practices of HM as a topical treatment for mucosal infections. 26,27 The results of the survey found that the longer the mothers lactated, the greater their knowledge and use of topical HM use was. The survey also found that DD was the third most frequent topical indication of HM, followed by the treatment of damaged nipples and then healthy skin care.…”

“…A few of the articles studied were qualitative in nature. [26][27][28] A survey done in Poland had the aim of surveying mothers on their knowledge, attitudes, and practices of HM as a topical treatment for mucosal infections. 26,27 The results of the survey found that the longer the mothers lactated, the greater their knowledge and use of topical HM use was.…”

Wet Nurse or Milk Bank? Evolution in the Model of Human Lactation: New Challenges for the Islamic Population

“…The same authors have documented the use of human milk, also in Polish women, for the care of cracked nipples, and even for the treatment of dermatitis in the nappy area and neonatal acne. For these problems, 58% of women reported having used this method at least once [ 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 ].…”

“…Especially for those environments where the socio-economic and socio-health situation makes access to unanimously approved therapies difficult, they can be decisive for child recovery and survival [ 61 ]. For example, the use of human milk for the treatment of different ophthalmic, otic and different paediatric pathologies has proven to be effective in the same way as conventional Western therapies [ 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 ]. It is also interesting to note that there is no reference in the medicinal recipe books to the religious controversy that might arise from the donation of milk as a single ingredient or as part of a set of ingredients for a cure.…”