Breastfeeding is now chestfeeding, Brighton’s trans-friendly midwives are told

Discrimination against women. Denying our very existence. Men rule ok!

Breastfeeding charities have already been pressured into having policies to include men.

I just wondered what a woman would say to a midwife who used the term chest feeding with them. I’m pregnant. If I feel like I did after my first labour and a midwife started to discuss this with me, I would be utterly bemused (and assume they wanted my DH to strip off to have some skin to skin bonding) Would you challenge them to use more “female friendly” language rather than trans inclusive language or just give up?

Luckily it’s my second pregnancy so I’m hoping I will be more confident with breastfeeding having done it before but to include, what must be single digits of trans men giving birth to the exclusion of women for who English isn’t their first language, women who aren’t confident enough to ask questions, women with learning difficulties and women who at their most vulnerable will simply not ask further questions to access the help they need because they don’t want / can’t engage with the language that is relevant to them, seems to be throwing an awful lot of women under the bus.

Sorry if this has been answered up thread. I am interested how women would tackle this “in real life”?

I look back on history when the Spanish Inquisition was underway, or the Purtians were smashing up churches, or in living memory when people were denounced for liking western classical music in the Cultural Revolution and think how did people get so het up over such cultural purity issues to the extent of ignoring common sense and accepted everyday language like mother. How much money has been diverted from proper healthcare to this wokery ? Any sensitive health care person will try and use whatever form of address they consider polite and respectful to effectively communicate with each patient to get the message they need to across and understood. I’ve seen many a doctor or nurse trying to explain concepts to people who aren’t medics and part of a good bedside manner is pitching the communication respectfully. You don’t have to change the language for everyone for a tiny tiny minority to the point where meaning is lost for every one else

[quote ArabellaScott]Article on the BBC front page.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-56007728#comments[/quote]
The policy is linked from the article.
t.co/94EnCE3UOi?amp=1
The 2 authors' job titles are 'gender inclusion midwife', and the editor (do internal policies usually have an editor?) is someone from Stonewall (least surprising thing I've ever read).

I did wonder if the idea was to use this language when supporting trans people, or add it to communication rather than replace words like mother. That's what the BBC article says, 'additive language' but it will be difficult to remain clear in messaging while trying to double up the two languages. It'll be like in Wales where everything is said twice. I looked at the web site & all their breastfeeding stuff is all about 'beastfeeding' as you'd expect. It's also a Baby Friendly hospital (the unicef breastfeeding accreditation). I would think suddenly swapping commonly understood words around breastfeeding, for weird new ones would have a detrimental effect on breastfeeding take up & rates.

I first noticed the global campaign for the decoupling of the word woman from women’s health and biological functions in Canada where the main Canadian midwifery website had started using birthing parent etc and had removed the word mother (I didn’t realise at that time how bad things were in Canada).

Why would anyone in their right mind support a campaign to make important health information HARDER for women (and only women) to access?

I could believe the changes were about 'trans acceptance' too IF, it was equal..and men alsow ere under constant attack for their language. But thats not the case. So ask, why only female centred stuff? Transmen are the excuse (and a handy way of 'omg, you are not supporting female people!' ing those who object too..). But they are not the reason for it.

This ^^

Female people do not have the power to get things changed, regardless of how they identify.

The bbc article has now been updated to include an analysis by Ben Hunte.

I'm assuming they're not changing terminology for terms referring to men's anatomy.

Sorry. It annoys me seeing all this 'mensturators is to please transmen' and such. At the same time as NO changes for men happening. Are we really to believe, that on this one topic, suddenly transmen are listened to, while transwomen have absolutely no issue at all being called...men? Like hell.

I could believe the changes were about 'trans acceptance' too IF, it was equal..and men alsow ere under constant attack for their language. But thats not the case. So ask, why only female centred stuff? Transmen are the excuse (and a handy way of 'omg, you are not supporting female people!' ing those who object too..). But they are not the reason for it.

Article on the BBC front page.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-56007728#comments

There was a large picture of chest feeding that used to be on the wall at school. It was something like the attached. The story behind it is religious and something along the lines of the mother pelican pecking its chest and feeding her own body to her starving chicks. Used to freak me out. Chest feeding.

This is the backlash, we women got “too big for our boots” and “people” are striving to put us back in our place and restore the “natural order”.

It has been realised that the word woman and all associated words are highly offensive and demeaning to people. Just as in the past woman and girl were used as insults and female body parts so disgusting that they are only fit for expletives of the most taboo nature.

“Trans Men” can menstruate because they are WOMEN! ONLY women can menstruate, although as I said, not all women do, regardless of how they identify. Sex is binary. It is observed at birth and can be observed in utero from ~15 weeks. It cannot be changed either by medicalisation or surgery. Anyone who thinks otherwise has either been badly educated or is suffering from a psychological disorder and needs therapy, not affirmation. Would you starve an anorexic? Suggest liposuction? Of course not.

What happened to woman centered midwifery?

if we are following the 'chest' example, maybe 'abdominal gestation chambers'? or 'bottom incubation spaces'.

I just saw this in the news! I'm astonished!

What do transmen call their wombs? They'd need to find quite a lot of new words, I'd think.

There is a push to allow transwomen into breastfeeding support groups as well. That is a subject that has been discussed recently too.

Meredithgrey1 I'd have thought perinatal also includes antenatal as "peri-" means around?

Side note, what a great example of how totally unclear this new wording is! Let's hope that clarity of language isn't a concern in a medical setting

Can someone please explain chest-feeding to me. Is it trying to be inclusive of transmen who wish to breastfeed but don't like the idea of having breasts (despite having presumably grown a baby in their uterus and birthed it from their vagina)? Or is it trying to be inclusive of transwomen who have procured a baby through surrogacy and either wish the child to suck on their dry nipple to help with parental bonding or have fashioned some sort of device like the one in Meet the Fockers? I genuinely don't get it.

Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust endorses both disassociation from your unmentionable female body

I have brought this up on the other thread. There is a group of women for whom giving birth and/or breast feeding trauma causes a type of disassociation. It really isn't talked about until women start comparing notes, I'd be interested in any studies. However, I am one and I know there are others, probably significant numbers who either temporarily or, in my case, permanently feel disassociated from my breasts.

Sure, use it for individuals when they come in. It is when it is rolled out organisation wide as the terms to use that it becomes an issue. And there are too many organisations taking that particular approach.

The very last thing I would have needed at the time I was trying to establish breastfeeding, would have been to be part of a group that called it chestfeeding or reading information that called it chestfeeding. I was already trying to recover from a traumatic birth, and emergency c, I really think seeing 'chestfeeding' would have the impact of further disassociating me from my breasts.

Maybe, my experience is that unique? I don't think so, I just think it is still not talked about but I could be wrong.

Yet, I doubt that anyone writing that literature or naming that support group to be inclusive would think that it would have just the opposite effect on people like me.