Lactating Trannies
🛑 ALL INFORMATION CLICK HERE 👈🏻👈🏻👈🏻
Lactating Trannies
Update: Read my interview with Jenna, another trans woman, here . Read my interview with health care providers who have assisted trans women with lactation here .
So far, this blog has exclusively addressed issues faced by
transmasculine folks. I started writing it from my personal experience, and I
am transmasculine. However, I've received several questions from trans women
who are interested in breastfeeding. After doing some Google searches, I
realized that just as there is little to no information for trans men on this
topic, there is not much written for trans women. In particular, I haven't
found any personal accounts or interviews. I will try to do my part to fill a
little bit of this gap. This is part one of a mini-series on trans women and lactation. Enjoy!
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Breastfeeding and parenting from a transgender perspective.
I am very proud of these moms for the wonderful start on life they have given their son. I am sorry you encountered difficulties and am so happy for you that you were able to overcome them. I was raised to know that breastfeeding is not something only women can do. Scientific studies have documented men who successfully breastfed, it's time that the scientific community put that information to use for the transgender community. You are a pioneer and a hero and your son will thank you both for the wonderful benefits you've given him someday.
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This is so limited and encouraging to read. Thank you for sharing. I look forward to the rest of the pieces in this series!
oops - I meant to type "informative",not "limited". Dern voice-recognition software!
Stop replying while driving..... :-P
or maybe they aren't driving and it's possible that is how they use a computer? ;)
May not want to make assumptions about that one - I know some people use voice recognition software because of carpal tunnel syndrome or other conditions that limit the use of their hands. . . just fyi ...
I think "replying while driving ;-P" was a joke.
This is very informative and helpful! I am so sorry the response you had from LLL was not helpful, though. Is it okay if I share this story with other Leaders? I think it could open some eyes! Teresa
So glad you found it helpful! Absolutely, share it far and wide, wherever you please :) I'd love for more people to learn abou this.
Thank you for this article. As a medical student, I know that I would never learn stuff like this (and I'm trans myself)! Bravo, truly, and may you have continued prosperity.
I can only hope I am merely ignorant on this matter, but wouldn't being a trans healthcare provider pose more barriers than searching for trans healthcare? I mean in terms of the sheer amount of ignorance you encounter.
Thank you so much for sharing this. I am a cis-woman who did the Newman/Goldfarb protocol so I could breastfeed my daughter who we adopted at birth. Like you I found the LLL to be completely useless. I attended one meeting, where the leader strongly discouraged me from attempting adoption lactation. She said she thought it would be upsetting to the baby's "real mother" for me to breastfeed and that I should save some money for psychotherapy bills for my daughter later in life because being breastfed by someone not her "real mother" would mess with her head. (for the record, I had discussed my plans to breastfeed with our daughter's birth mother and she was fully on board with the idea) Unfortunately due to lack of support I gave up after three days and switched to the bottle. I'm so happy for you and your wife that you both were able to successfully breastfeed your child. :-)
I am so sorry you had that experience. This is truly the worst thing I've ever heard LLL do. It would have been more of service to say nothing at all, rather than be insulting if there is no solid knowledge behind their words.
..."real mother"? I am incredibly sorry you were treated this way.
I hate to say it, but are you sure she was a leader?! I know many leaders who are very knowledgeable about inducing lactation and adoptive nursing.. It just doesn't sound like something coming out of the leader's mouth at a meeting!! May be it was just an active member or something?! It's just so odd!
I appreciate all of this very geeky level of detail. :D You are planning on writing a book eventually, right? You'd better!!
Aw, thanks!! I actually *have* written a book. It's just that my nerdy, geeky side is not letting me finish editing it for good. Sigh. I keep finding things to improve. I hope I'll be ready to put it out there some time next fall.
If you need a copy editor who's also a lactation professional, look me up! :D
The nice thing about writing a "text" book is that you can send out another addition later on as information changes. Having this book out now would be great. I am about to begin studying to be a lactation consultant and I am thankful to have read this article. A Trans Woman's lactation never would have occurred to me. I am excited to see the possibility take form!
Love love love this! I have insisted for years that this was possible, but most people just wrinkle their noses at the idea. Milk or no milk, the nursing relationship can be lovely and important, and no one need be excluded from it for arbitrary reasons.
Disgusting story about creepy people.
What you say to others shall be said about you :)
dont read it then and keep being and ignorant close minded fool.
A mother feeding her baby is disgusting and creepy?! How? Remember, women breastfeeding babies they didn't give birth to has been part of human culture since the dawn of our species and indeed is present in almost all mammals - we've just refined the process a bit.
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because feeding human babies with cow's milk is "natural" but breastfeeding your own baby is creepy and disgusting? Some people is really stupid! Excellent interview!
But they're not women. They're sick men. So it IS creepy and disgusting.
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Chicken Author....Can't stand reading the truth? Don't publish it and ask for responses.
says the commenter hiding behind internet anonymity. Why don't you publish your name and photo so we know what bigotry looks like? What a coward.
I have to remove TONS of spam. 99% spam.
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I really enjoyed this article, thank you for writing it! It is too bad that LLL couldn't give you any support. I wanted to mention that LLL groups are made up of breastfeeding mothers in that particular neighbourhood, which makes each group unique. Possibly you would have found better support with a different group, so I hope that other mothers in your situation still reach out to LLL. The only way to make LLL better is for all breastfeeding mothers to become members - could you imagine the knowledge they would have then to share? Happy Mother's Day!
I agree. I'm sorry you didn't find what you are looking for, by LLL is a volunteer service. People give of their free time to help others. They are not paid lactation consultants. If you feel there isn't enough educated support for couples with you specific lactation needs you should def. start a group. It sounds like you have a great handle on the experience. The best teachers are those who have gone through it before themselves. There is no need to bash another group.
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Reading this reminds me of how primitive humans still are. We have so much to figure out yet and to work through, that I feel all of us who have been born so far have been given the short end of the stick here. I envy those who will live when our society will be far more advanced than it will likely ever be in our lifetime. Hopefully, our society will get past the dogmas of today and be capable of working great masterpieces of science to better the lives of those yet to be born. We live in a time when majority of people have yet to separate gender (a construct)from sex (the anatomy of our bodies)let alone all the other hurdles we have to get through in enlightening people. It infuriates me that "Sarah" received such a response. On the other hand, I enjoyed reading the pros of her experience with breastfeeding. I honestly felt a lot of empathy likely because I could find myself in the same situation should I ever decide to be a parent. I appreciate this article deeply.
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Great story! My name is Sherriea I am 11 years living as the woman I feel I am as a transexual. For several years I have tried to lactate as I have heard many of girls do feel the urge to make milk because it helps us feel more like real genetic woman- plus it raises a girls libedo to the max. So good for you. Sherriea
I've never heard of breastfeeding increasing sex drive, and our experience was just the opposite. It would be a cruel joke of nature if it did!
Sherria, the opposite is true! Breastfeeding hormones *decrease* a person's sex drive: http://www.bellybelly.com.au/breastfeeding/libido-and-breastfeeding-whats-happened-to-my-sex-drive-now-i-am-breastfeeding#.UY50NYy9KSM
Trevor, every person has a different experience and a different reaction to the hormones. Breastfeeding increased my sex drive starting 6 months post-partum with all three of my children until they weaned at about 3 years of age. Don't be so narrow-minded and try to lump everyone's experience into a single definition.
J, you're right. I definitely should have said that "*in general* breastfeeding hormones decrease your libido." That may not be true for every person. Quite a few studies have found that this is the case for most people though. Breastfeeding hormones also affect most people's fertility (usually for about six months or so), but a few people are fertile within weeks of delivering even if they are breastfeeding. I find it interesting that you mention that the breastfeeding hormones increased your libido starting at about six months postpartum. What did you feel was their effect during the first six months?
... wow, some of these comments are exactly what I'm talking about. These people clearly haven't read my prior post. Eh, I guess I should be thanking them for proving my point. These anti-intellectuals are an embarrassment.
I have to ask, have you heard of adopting (non trans) mothers doing this too? I've thought of adopting, but never would have considered going through a bunch of hormone treatments in order to breastfeed.
Yes, many adoptive mothers induce lactation and breastfeed. The Newman-Goldfarb protocols for induced lactation were developed for adoptive mothers and mothers of babies born to surrogates. It's not really 'a bunch of hormone treatments' in the standard protocol, it's just one, and it's no different from being on a birth control pill for a few months. In fact that's all it is.
Wonderful inspiring story! Breastfeeding is so worth fighting for, and it's great to hear it went so well for you.
This is amazing to read, I like the term "non-gestational parent" a lot and shall try and remember to use that rather than the more common and less thoughtful terms I've seen. I know how hard it can be to get medics to help you with their brains using "first principle" or "your knowledge my experience" thinking - I'm so pleased it worked out. And yes, wtf to the not giving trans women progestins, I'm not a trans woman myself but I know so many here in the UK who find the combination of oestrogens and progestins are really important.
Amazing Story! Congrats Mama! That relationship you get is so worth all the work! and amazing how much milk you had! :)
I'm not trans but I am parenting with my female partner. I'm also a midwife (homebirth) and have done a bit of work in GLBTQ fertility, birth, etc. I personally don't like ANY of the labels. You are both moms. I'm assuming you both have names, and I'm sure they could be used when addressing you. if there's a label to be given it's Mom. When my son was little bitty his class did family drawings. The kids were to label the members of their family. My son labeled us mom 1 and mom 2. Congratulations to you and your sweet family. What great parents your baby has.
Wholeheartedly agreed! 'non-gestational mom' is only for people who might need to make the distinction, like healthcare providers we had for the pregnancy or with whom we need to discuss his family medical history. It's 'Mama' and 'Mommy' to our little one and everyone else. Thank you for such kind words! He is a great baby too. :)
Breastfeeding requires effort and commitment. I found pumping difficult and draining, and really respect any person who is devoted to that work. I am humbled by this devotion, as well as those that are able to share their milk via milk banking. So much to learn!
When I shared this on Facebook it described the story as a transgender "dad" feeding "his" baby. No, it's a non-gestational mum. Please correct this.
Oh my! How embarrassing! My apologies. I think that when someone shares my blog on Facebook, the tagline for the whole blog in general comes up (I normally blog about my life as a breastfeeding, transgender dad). Obviously for this post that doesn't work at all! I've changed the tagline on the blog to say "Breastfeeding and parenting from a transgender perspective." Hopefully that will work for all my posts!
I hope that changing your tagline means that you will post more articles like this! There is so little info about trans parenting in general, especially for trans women. Thanks so much for the work that you do, for getting your experience out there, and also for reaching past your own experience to give us information! So glad to remember that we aren't alone in this!
I'm a breastfeeding counselor. I am also gay and consider myself to have more of a clue about LGTBQ issues than your average person, but in defense of the LLL Leader I have to admit that I sort of had the same response when this was first presented to me. I simply wasn't thinking it through. I had a woman ask me if a transwoman could breastfeed. I didn't realize at the time that she was transgender. My off the cuff response was "I don't think it would work." She quickly shot back, "Oh yes it could!" I immediately said, "Of course. Sometimes men lactate so it would be very possible." We had a great conversation about it. She told me that she had lactated but hadn't breastfed her baby. I encouraged her to consider it next time. I'm glad she didn't end the conversation due to my first thoughtless response.
the supportive comments here are awesome! still, i can't help thinking it's too bad that a lot of people's reaction is 'well men can lactate so trans women should be able to.' here's a thing to please think about: trans women aren't men, and trans women aren't like men. trans women's breasts are women's breasts. they develop in response to female hormones, they grow over a period of years, and they hurt when they grow. they are made of normal female breast tissue. you shouldn't need to think about men lactating to understand that women can. :)
It's less a matter of viewing transwomen as men and more a matter of considering that pre-op transwomen share physiology with cis men, and if a cis male's body is capable of lactating, then so will a transwoman's. Although at this point, it's been made abundantly obvious that the human body as it is is capable of lactating, regardless of biological sex, so I agree that it shouldn't be necessary to liken the two. However, for many people who've never considered that transwomen could lactate due to the fact that they lack "real" breasts, it's a good stepping stone for getting people to view transwomen differently.
Pre or post-op do not matter here: normally when we speak of surgery (as trans women) we are talking about genital surgery, which would have no effect on one's physiology as it applies to lactation. Neither would the other (relatively) common surgery of breast augmentation (which is functionally the same for Tran and cis women). Hormones, on the other hand, matter VERY much. Though I most likely have a Y chromosome, after four years of estrogen and progesterone, my breasts are decidedly female: C-cup, Tanner Stage 4, feminine nipples & areolae, Montgomery glands, and all the inner milk-glands and ducts (as confirmed by my recent 3D mammogram). My breasts are still filling-out and I will induce lactation to bring them to TS-5 maturity. I specifically added progesterone to my hormone therapy so that I would have functional breasts - I may not be able to bear a child, but I want to be capable of breastfeeding one. Anyway, I hope to be able to donate breast milk at least.
I am transwoman and completly disagree with your statement that ore/post ops wouldnt matter. the sexul reassignment sugery or orchiotmy removes the gland responsible for testosterone production. as such it would make lactatio easier and involve less mediation to supress testosterong
Thank you, blog moderators, for removing bigoted comments. We deal with enough transphobia all the time, the last thing we need is to see it in a super posi article like this. As a cis partner of a trans woman who hopes to start a family relatively soon, I am overwhelmed by all the positivity and lovely comments on this piece. I'm a doula, and sometimes it seems futile to even get the birth world to pay attention to gender variance. So glad to have a space like this.
Oh!!! I would *love* to be a doula...
Thank you for this. My four year old is likely transgender (MtF). One of our first indications of "gender creativity" occurred over a year ago. My daughter (at the time, my son) was watching me nurse her little sister and asked when he would grow boobies. Not knowing the turmoil going on within her I said that she was a boy and therefore wouldn't grow breasts. He was absolutely devastated - sobbed over that for a long time. Now she is firmly identified and living as a girl. Recently, again watching her little sister nurse, she asked me if she will be able to nurse her babies. I am studying to be a lactation consultant and told her that I believed she could (I was thinking the same sort of protocol that an adoptive mother would use would work). This is fantastic information and so inspiring! I am printing out this post to keep for her - you never know if this will be around on the internet in 20 or 30 years. I am excited at the idea that I might be able to help her nur
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