Brighton midwives told to say “front hole”

[tabbycatstripy]

Daily Mail reports that a care guide for transgender patients pregnant or giving birth suggests midwives should use ‘alternative’ anatomical terminology, so, instead of calling a vagina a vagina, they could use “genital opening” or “front hole”.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10727051/Midwives-urged-avoid-using-proper-words-anatomy-avoid-upsetting-trans-patients.html

Aside from the issues of linguistic misunderstanding that might arise when patients are allowed to choose what medical professionals name anatomical parts, isn’t “front hole” simply degrading language? Isn’t it pornified and dehumanising?

‘Wank pillows’ is no more ridiculous than ‘front hole’ in my opinion. op is right, medical professionals should use correct anatomical language. If someone requires psychological support then this can be given by being compassionate to their distress, but mangling language is not the answer.
There are millions of women to whom it is distressing hearing dehumanising words being used about their anatomy and we matter too.
Correct anatomical terms and compassionate/ neutral support where necessary by midwives/ obstetricians. How do medical professionals deal with anorexics? They surely use correct terms but are supportive in their care. They don’t refer to weight in weird reductive terms do they?
Older pregnant women get called geriatrics fgs!
Pregnant women who are older/ overweight/ underweight etc all have to listen to correct (if blunt) terms. Why is it so different for a gender dysphoric woman?

‘but she did mention cervix, labia and perineum- so I think they need to be clear about what is or isnt dilating/tearing/stretching/being cut etc for consent purposes.’

My midwife had to break my waters. She had to put her hand inside my vagina. That is a serious and consequential act. It needs to be properly described before it happens.

Tabby, there is some research. It seems black women have a higher risk for some pregnancy related conditions (like pre-eclampsia) but that a lot is due to subconscious bias where midwives listen less to black mothers which is horrific.

I read a heartbreaking article written by a woman who (if I remember correctly) was an obstetrician looking into it and had an increasing amount of black mothers insisting that she would take them on as patients as they felt safer and listened to in a different way.

I find it outrageous that this is an issue in this day and age and I think extra training in this area should be standard.

That resources are spent on some barmy vocabulary training is outrageous.

www.birthrights.org.uk/2021/11/11/new-mbrrace-report-shows-black-women-still-four-times-more-likely-to-die-in-pregnancy-and-childbirth/

“Front hole” is language taken from a pornified view of the world in which the vagina is something you put things in.

You're way overthinking this. "Front hole" is simply child terminology, no more, no less.

Thanks, Double. It is outrageous. Women as an entire group often experience pregnancy and birth as a time when they are not listened to. We should take that even more seriously when there are such poor outcomes for particular groups.

Fulmine

Anyone saying “front hole” in front of my child isn’t coming near them again. You are thinking about “front bottom”, which is a childish term, sure.

If you can have a 'female penis' [sic], surely by the same logic you can have a 'male vagina' [sic]. In clown world, anyway ...

Typical for Brighton 😂

I find the FH terminology crass. I won't accept it when referring to myself. Nor am I a chest feeder. I'll keep my feminine identity and terminology for myself, thanks.

When my DDs were really very small (preschool) I did use the word hole when explaining about childbirth. So the front hole is called the urethra and is where pee comes out, the middle hole is called the vagina and is where babies come out and the back hole is called the anus and is where poo comes out. I was pregnant at the time and there were lots of discussions about the baby. Hole was the easiest word to use that my preschoolers understood. We never spoke about 'front bottom' though, hate all the twee terms so when DD asked what that area was called I said vulva.

Ante natal preparation includes all sorts of thinking around things like birth plan, post birth care, learning how to care for, feed and nurture a baby. Learning to be comfortable with the use of the word vagina and all of the other body parts essential to a mother is part of that preparation. If you can't do that, think twice before you have a baby. Babies need grownups to be their parents ffs

The only time I've heard that term is in Derry Girls! Michelle Mallon says it a lot.

Given the outrageous failures in NHS maternity care in some parts of the country, I would have thought there were more pressing issues to worry about.

I use “front bum” if we’re talking about wiping or modesty. But “vagina” if my kids ask about birth. Because that’s where babies come from.

@Alltheprettyseahorses

Putting aside any other issues, it's the MIDDLE hole fgs! A midwife trying to deliver a baby from the front hole wouldn't have qualified.

🤣 The world needs more people like you 👏

@Fulmine

“Front hole” is language taken from a pornified view of the world in which the vagina is something you put things in.

You're way overthinking this. "Front hole" is simply child terminology, no more, no less.

Front bottom is creepily twee child terminology. Front hole is not.

Front hole just makes me want to wrinkle up my nose...

1. it's the middle
2. there's nothing wrong with the word 'Vagina'
3. If you can't use the words, are you really ready for a baby?

I mean, christ, the conversations I've had with my kids - some have definitely required a deep breath before (While I plan quite how to answer a 5 year old who asked how the baby got in my belly), and a stiff scotch after (when 9 year old learned about neutering cats and why, and asked if 'dad did that to me') - we've spent enough time blaming women for not teaching their kids the correct words for their anatomy on MN, I feel like we should at least be requiring it of adults too!

MissLucyEyelesbarrow

It’s not creepy to use a euphemism with a small child. Why would that be “creepy”?

It's creepy because it's using euphemisms in order to deal with an adult's embarrassment about their sexual function.

A child has no idea about the sexual function (nor should they), they just want to know the name of it.

Plus, it can be exploited so that a child can't clearly articulate that they are being abused. 'the man touched my flower' sounds innocent, but if the man also told the child that her vulva was called her flower then clearly it isn't.

It’s not creepy at all. If my child told me someone touched her I would immediately investigate. I’m not embarrassed about her vagina or vulva. When we used “front bottom” it was developmentally appropriate and she could remember it. I don’t consider that even conceivably creepy.

So if there were two people to whom this might have applied - and we don't know they would have objected or wanted these words - and one of those two has since desisted, and if that was as of Feb 2017, then how many people is this for now that it's April 2022?

And as someone said, what's the end point? Because we've been here before with Brighton. Since then we've been told half of our maternity services is not safe for women and babies. What's the point in this then?

To brush it away as a bit mad or benign is tempting but I think people need to be held to account for this. Or perhaps they could tell us how they're so much better and more safe for women and babies that they're at the point where they can do these activities as well? I'm sure every other maternity service in the whole country could learn, right??

What complete and utter bollocks, it's called a vagina, always has been always will be ffs, get over it!

Technically the "front hole" is where women pee, the "middle hole" is where the baby comes out and "back hole" is for feces

Only women can give birth, all this bollocks needs to stop now.

Having sex and getting pregnant, the most female thing in the world to do, isn't triggering but using the word vagina is?

The sooner staff realise they are being played amd stop pandering to this utter nonsense the better.

Of all the things to focus on. Not staffing. Not increased bad outcomes fir black women. Not birth injuries. But worrying about indulging fantasies ?

Anything medical.should be factual, truthful etc ir informed consent cannot be achieved.

The answer should just be no. We are not doing this. Your identity matters to you amd only you its not my job or anyone else's job here to be a part of it.