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

I'm finding this Orwellian and deeply confusing as someone who cares a lot about raising my children to be inclusive, including of trans men and women.

But these are scientific realities that are being denied here. Stripping away language in this way is so dangerous. If we lose the language that describes the female body we can't prepare and educate young women about how to stay safe and healthy as they grow up.

It astounds me that female bodies are being politicised and deconstructed in the name of healthcare. I grew up in a very restrictive culture where female body parts were taboo - and as a result things like sex education woefully neglected. It's mad that in the name of progressive values - which I'm in support of - we can't say the word 'breast' or 'breastfeeding.'

Totally ridiculous Like most of the pc agenda

I just don’t understand the self centred meeeness of it all

As someone who can’t have children, it’s like me coming on mumsnet & demanding it changes its name to womannet or peoplenet so that I don’t feel excluded.

It just wouldn’t occur to me to be such a self obsessed arse

I don't think anyone has the slightest problem with 'as well as' Sappho , it's when it's 'instead of' that female people and their realities are erased and replaced.

That's fine Sappho if midwives were just using chestfeeding for your trans man mother friend, but why must the language women use be erased? It is very alienating to women, particularly whilst hearing of other female descriptors, such as menstruators and uterus owners - reducing us to body parts on the one hand and removing language on the other.

I am hoping someone reads this who may be intending to chest feed and considers the impact of their actions on the child they are bringing into the world. Selfish does not even begin to cover it.

I don't see it as selfish, in fact I think that's a pretty offensive thing to say. it will only be used in relation to trans people not all women.

I live in Brighton and know a trans man who gave birth here. He's one of the loveliest people I've met and a great parent. He agreed with the midwives to use the term chestfeeding as it felt more appropriate for him. This has zero impact on anyone but him.

I've given birth twice in Brighton and unsurprisingly the midwives only referred to breastfeeding because I'm not trans.

Struggling to understand why it's such a big deal?

Hmm, what did I have cancer in then? Two figments of the imagination?

Then maybe I wouldn't have been told on day 2 that my DD had no tongue tie, then to suffer two months of agony only to finally discover she in fact had a very severe tongue tie. Up to 24 feeds a day of what felt like rusty knives sawing into my nipples. Because I'm a woman.

Or get told DS did have a tongue tie, but they didn't do anything about it in my trust, but could give me the address of a private practice in the next county where I could get it done (as a single parent, with no car, recovering from a C Section - yes, that was really fucking useful).

But as you say, just women's healthcare, who gives a shit?

And - note to the woke - rebranding it as "perinatal health care" won't change anything because the people in power know who are the women, and who are the men.

I'd prefer it if healthcare professionals put their energy into actually helping women.

Then maybe I wouldn't have been told on day 2 that my DD had no tongue tie, then to suffer two months of agony only to finally discover she in fact had a very severe tongue tie. Up to 24 feeds a day of what felt like rusty knives sawing into my nipples. Because I'm a woman.

As other posters have said. Chest feeding makes 0 sense and both sexes have breast tissue. Women aren't allowed anything anymore, heaven forbid we should offend what must be a tiny minory. Anyway anyone one breast feeding is of the female sex no matter what 'gender' they identify with.

Anyone else smiling wryly at 'baying mob'?

Oh the drama. Look on Twitter, love. Get a bit of a sense of proportion.

More Mumsnet transphobia.

Not erasing any mention of females is transphobia? No, that would be objecting to gynephobia. What is transphobic please about asking that women AND other terms are used instead of just excluding and replacing all female words?

Live and let live.

Yeah that needs to be reciprocal to work. Let females have their words, add in other words, that's the live and the let live part. Erasing female words is not letting live. That's give and shut up. You can't really expect female people to think that's fun for them.

Hmm, no woman hating...

Let me see:
Menstruators
Birthing bodies
Chest feeders

Could the language be any more de-humanising if they tried?

Nope, I don't think it could.

But apparently this is not woman hating, because Kitfish has arrived to woke-scold us all and tell us off for not wanting to choose the language used to describe us and our lived experience.

Women aren't afforded that privilege you see. Only special people are allowed to choose the language used to describe themselves, and women, historically and geographically, have never been in the category of "special people."

Where's the baying mob? There's quite a strict moderation policy on this board. If you feel that a post is transphobic, you can report it, rather than jumping into a thread simply to sneer at women who are discussing an issue relating to their own medical care.

[quote Kitfish]@CaraDuneReduxI don't hate women. I hate bigotry. It's depressing listening to you all acting like a baying mob.[/quote]
A baying mob? Because we want to be called what we are and we want to use the correct names for our own body parts?

It's odd. Victorian novels can refer to a man clasping a woman to his breast; they can speak of a woman "wanting to talk to someone of her own sex", but in the 21st century, midwives, MPs and others are getting awkward and coy. They'll be covering the legs of pianos next lest there are gender difference between a Baby Grand and a Steinway...

@CaraDuneReduxI don't hate women. I hate bigotry. It's depressing listening to you all acting like a baying mob.

@Frogartist No worries. I think we are singing from the same hymn sheet!

Sorry 1womanwonder I should have read your post before replying!

Have they also changed the words for uterus, vagina, cervix etc? It must be very difficult to support a woman (person) during pregnancy and birth without using words for female anatomy.

More Mumsnet transphobia. It seems to be becoming a daily occurrance. Live and let live.