On Family, Fieldwork, and Liquid Gold

Area of Science:

• Sociology of Health
• Health Communication
• Bioethics

Background:

• Personal experience as daughter of a Labor and Delivery nurse.
• Growing up as the oldest of six children.
• Discovery of breast milk markets and the milk banking industry.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the organization of donor milk.
• To convey the political conditions that gave rise to the milk banking industry using concrete research poetry.
• To reflect on the contrast between childfree identity and the experiences of milk donors/recipients.

Main Methods:

• Fieldwork and research within the milk banking industry.
• Use of concrete research poetry to represent political conditions.
• Reflective analysis of pronatalist and disciplinary discourses.

Main Results:

• The essay details the author's discovery and research journey in milk banking.
• Concrete research poetry is employed to illustrate the industry's political origins.
• A reflection on shared consequences of pronatalist discourses is presented.

Conclusions:

• Community knowledge of milk banking is crucial for everyone, irrespective of parental status.
• Further research in health communication is inspired by the presented questions.
• The essay underscores the significance of understanding milk banking beyond parental roles.