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

[Mulletsaremisunderstood]

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/breastfeeding-is-now-chestfeeding-brightons-trans-friendly-midwives-are-told-pwlvmcnc7

Hope this link works as I am a subscriber to the times and logged in.

More nonsense being peddled as 'progressive' . When will the madness end!!?

ElliFAntspoo

You can say 'fuck' here. There's no need to use 'F' as a stand in. If you want to swear, do it.

God, it’s bulllshit of the highest order

@ElliFAantspoo You are not hearing voices calling out about this because too many women are silent. They complain to each other, sign petitions at most, which is a complete waste of time, but don’t do anything to make their voices heard. Write to Hospital Boards who support this erasure of women and copy the letter to your MP, the Health Minister, local Press. Don’t just stop donating to charities - write and tell them why. Don’t just stop buying from companies like Lush who support trans charities like Mermaids, write to the CEO saying why. Write to your MP, write to local councillors warning about Stonewall putting their trans ideology propaganda into a primary schools. Write your local Council quoting EA2010 regarding provision of single-sex toilets. Write to the likes of M&S and other stores allowing men into women’s changing rooms, again quoting EA2010. Write to your local press. Make YOUR voice heard where it counts.

Regarding breastfeeding support charities - their main funding comes from local authorities, NHS trusts, public health etc who commission them. They do what commissioners ask of them. So that's where we have to concentrate efforts. Women don't have any choice but to use the charity that does bf support in their area (on the whole), and donations don't make up much of their income.

Why are we as women allowing this to happen? We are allowing ourselves to be slowly eradicated. I also read they want change the word maternity service to perinatal service.

I am in the south east, I had my first midwife appointment a fe weeks ago, she said breastfeeding but in my next appointment...if my midwife says chest feeding, I will not accept it and will be making a complaint.

@flyingbuttress43

Why did I know, even before reading the article that it would be Brighton?

The same article is in the Telegraph, which also reports that Freddy McConnell is listed as an external adviser on the document. Well, colour me surprised.

Brighton & Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust

"Gender Inclusive Language in Perinatal Services:
Mission Statement and Rationale"

Yep - the External Reviewers include

Freddy McConnell - Advocate, trans birthing dad

www.bsuh.nhs.uk/maternity/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2021/01/Gender-Inclusive-Language-in-Perinatal-Services-BSUH.pdf

They have also changed "Maternity Services" to "Perinatal Services" so as not to focus on mothers aka "birthing parents".

Worth considering whether this language shift will result in changes in the culture of services, intended or otherwise, ie. babies as "products" or "outputs".

It is bad enough that the NHS is again adopting terms that many will find unfamiliar. It also triggers my spidey-sense that the term "Maternity" has been dropped at the same time that surrogacy is being pushed as a civil/human rights issue for men who want women to provide them with surrogate-birth babies.

Smoke and mirrors. Drop maternity and then all the poor quality maternity care can be disassociated from pregnancy because whoopeedoo we have Perinatal services now and they're much better???

Worth considering whether this language shift will result in changes in the culture of services, intended or otherwise, ie. babies as "products" or "outputs".

It is bad enough that the NHS is again adopting terms that many will find unfamiliar. It also triggers my spidey-sense that the term "Maternity" has been dropped at the same time that surrogacy is being pushed as a civil/human rights issue for men who want women to provide them with surrogate-birth babies.

Yes I agree. None of this is done with the well being of women in mind.

I think it’s important to note that perinatal is an existing word that has long been in common use in hospitals if not elsewhere.

However, I think they should clarify if they have actually dropped ‘maternity’, and if so, why.

Agree merrymouse why have they dropped maternity. There must be an agenda, word association perhaps, maternity = woman, perinatal = f%ck knows who

@ElliFAntspoo

I'm too old to give a F, but it's like watching a train wreck in slow motion, or the slow crumbing of a society's backbone.

That was a beautiful way of describing something horrible.

Top post.

I am worried about this shift too. Even when it was called maternity services efforts actually had to be made to centre mothers.

Now with perinatal services the disembodied, depersonalised process of birth is centred. What becomes of mother and baby?

When the mother is centred then the baby benefits because the mother is the source of life, nurture and love for the baby.

When birth was moved out of the home and into the hospitals we saw the rise of obstetric violence and the needs of the institution and its functioning took precedence over individual mother-baby dyads. The 70’s and 80’s were the peak of this. Women created a grassroots movement to humanise birth and midwives got on board in the 90’s with women centred care, an emphasis on choice, control and informed consent. Evidence based practice and respect for women became the focus. Part of this was empowering language, that is the use of anatomically correct language to describe women’s bodies but also avoiding phrases such as “good girl” to encourage women during labour because these are adult women giving birth not children. Also avoiding the use of the word lady which is a euphemism for woman, somehow being part of the aristocracy made being female acceptable in times past but the word woman was being reclaimed. A woman was considered a powerful adult human being competent to make choices about her birth, able to take charge and fully capable of consenting or not to procedures.

Now what is a woman and what is her place in “perinatal services”?

Once it would have been women’s grassroots groups that were consulted on these changes, the NCT, AIMS, and local committees. Where are they now? Well I have seen that AIMS has been captured. I don’t know about the NCT.

midwives got on board in the 90’s with women centred care, an emphasis on choice, control and informed consent. Evidence based practice and respect for women became the focus. Part of this was empowering language, that is the use of anatomically correct language to describe women’s bodies but also avoiding phrases such as “good girl” to encourage women during labour because these are adult women giving birth not children. Also avoiding the use of the word lady which is a euphemism for woman, somehow being part of the aristocracy made being female acceptable in times past but the word woman was being reclaimed. A woman was considered a powerful adult human being competent to make choices about her birth, able to take charge and fully capable of consenting or not to procedures.

It's a good point, DaisiesAndButtercups. It should be centred on the mother. I don't like this depersonalised language shift.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/02/10/forcing-midwives-say-chestfeeding-can-undermine-trans-rights/

Trans woman Telegraph columnist Diana Thomas criticises "woke" Brighton Trust.

"Giving birth is a female act. It helps nobody to pretend otherwise".

Extract "If we trans people want the recognition, the rights, the care and the freedom from abuse and violence that we deserve, then a) don't demand respect for our gender identity while showing scant respect for the identities of conventional men and women and b) don't encourage haters who think we are all delusional nutjobs by insisting on things that might easily be seen as delusional and nutty.

"Both a) and b) apply times 10, to organisations that think they are acting in our interests. Brighton NHS Trust, please take note."

Looks like the absurdity of it all this pretence has been really brought home to Diana Thomas by the fact that she said she is due to "pitch up at a prostate clinic in a frock" next Monday for an urgent prostate operation.

How is it compatible with “living as a man” to do literally the most female thing possible?

@DaisiesandButtercups

I am worried about this shift too. Even when it was called maternity services efforts actually had to be made to centre mothers.

Now with perinatal services the disembodied, depersonalised process of birth is centred. What becomes of mother and baby?

When the mother is centred then the baby benefits because the mother is the source of life, nurture and love for the baby.

When birth was moved out of the home and into the hospitals we saw the rise of obstetric violence and the needs of the institution and its functioning took precedence over individual mother-baby dyads. The 70’s and 80’s were the peak of this. Women created a grassroots movement to humanise birth and midwives got on board in the 90’s with women centred care, an emphasis on choice, control and informed consent. Evidence based practice and respect for women became the focus. Part of this was empowering language, that is the use of anatomically correct language to describe women’s bodies but also avoiding phrases such as “good girl” to encourage women during labour because these are adult women giving birth not children. Also avoiding the use of the word lady which is a euphemism for woman, somehow being part of the aristocracy made being female acceptable in times past but the word woman was being reclaimed. A woman was considered a powerful adult human being competent to make choices about her birth, able to take charge and fully capable of consenting or not to procedures.

Now what is a woman and what is her place in “perinatal services”?

Once it would have been women’s grassroots groups that were consulted on these changes, the NCT, AIMS, and local committees. Where are they now? Well I have seen that AIMS has been captured. I don’t know about the NCT.

Of course, that means fathers who find it stressful can phone up paternity services and demand that fathers should be entitled to support too, so the NHS should divert funding from maternity care to set up paternal support for fragile daddies.

I am still being dim... Are they going to change the wording of "breast cancer" to "chest cancer" too? If not why not? Transmen can get breast cancer too and I think that if the term "breastfeeding" is triggering then surely "breast cancer" is also triggering. If we are going to change our language we should do it across the board and be consistent. Make it make sense.

Hello Sir... Ma'am. What size chest to you have?
"42A"
"Here you go Ma'am... 42A"

@HermioneWeasley

How is it compatible with “living as a man” to do literally the most female thing possible?

Seems to be the question no one dares to ask in case it's 'transphobic'

I’ve been discussing this thread with my DP who completely gets our frustration and one of the first things he said which I think helps cut through this madness was, ‘if they are so keen for equality, how about they start by offering Father’s a cup of tea along with the mother instead of pretending they are not there on the maternity ward’. During my 40 hours of labour (where he spent most with me), each time I was offered a drink, he was blatantly ignored because it was their policy to not give drinks or snacks to anyone who wasn’t the patient. It was just embarrassing and awkward. Surely we need to sort out our approach to care and respect for new father’s and their mental health before diverting funds and attention into these ridiculous initiatives.

I’ve been discussing this thread with my DP who completely gets our frustration and one of the first things he said which I think helps cut through this madness was, ‘if they are so keen for equality, how about they start by offering Father’s a cup of tea along with the mother instead of pretending they are not there on the maternity ward’.

Was the humour in this post intentional? Thank you, I've just had my much-needed best laugh of the day.

Poor menz ...

Impatiens

"Seems to be the question no one dares to ask in case it's 'transphobic'"

I have asked the question before in this way.
If you are so dysphoric and hate the female body you were born with, possibly had binding/hormones/breast removal, then why would you do the one thing that a female can do and a male cannot do - get pregnant and give birth to a child.
Surely this is close to "self-misgendering"?
I am not buying into this at all.

If you are so dysphoric and hate the female body you were born with, possibly had binding/hormones/breast removal, then why would you do the one thing that a female can do and a male cannot do - get pregnant and give birth to a child.
Surely this is close to "self-misgendering"?
I am not buying into this at all.