The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is offering advice for individuals who identify as transgender and choose to breastfeed their babies, using the term “chestfeeding.”.“Chestfeeding” is a term used by individuals who identify as the opposite sex or non-binary to refer to the act of breastfeeding. Both women and men use this term..READ MORE Riley Gaines condemns male ‘breastfeeding’ as 'normalizing pedophilia'.The CDC has provided guidance for individuals who want to “chestfeed,” which can be found on their official website. .This guidance is in the “Health Equity Considerations” section of the “Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies” tool kit..“Transgender and nonbinary-gendered individuals may give birth and breastfeed or feed at the chest (chestfeed),” said the CDC..“An individual does not need to have given birth to breastfeed or chestfeed. Some families may have other preferred terminology for how they feed their babies, such as nursing, chestfeeding, or bodyfeeding.”.On the CDC website, in the section called “Breastfeeding and Special Circumstances.” It says biological women who identify as transgender and have undergone top surgery can still breastfeed..The CDC asked “can transgender parents who have had breast surgery breastfeed or chestfeed their infants?”.“Yes. Some transgender parents who have had breast/top surgery may wish to breastfeed, or chestfeed (a term used by some transgender and non-binary parents), their infants,” said the CDC..“Healthcare providers working with these families should be familiar with medical, emotional, and social aspects of gender transitions to provide optimal family-centred care and meet the nutritional needs of the infant.”.The CDC also mentions that transgender parents may require assistance in increasing milk production, using donor milk or formula as supplements, taking medication to stimulate lactation, stopping lactation for those who do not wish to chestfeed, and finding lactation and emotional support..Sometimes, biological women who identify as male use the term “chestfeeding” to describe breastfeeding their infants after undergoing top surgery. .Top surgery is a procedure where healthy breasts are removed to help achieve a more male appearance..Biological men who identify as women may also choose to “chestfeed” their infants using the fluid their small breasts produce through medication-induced lactation. .Additionally, some non-binary individuals prefer to use the term “chestfeed” as it feels more gender-neutral..Online, there have been claims made by some men who identify as women, stating that they have been able to produce milk and feed their babies using self-made mixtures of pharmaceutical drugs..Recently, a man from Britain shared a photo of himself “chestfeeding” his baby while on a bus. He faced severe criticism on social media, with some individuals accusing him of using the child as a “prop.”.Several doctors expressed concerns about the CDC’s guidance, stating it could be risky..“We have no idea what the long-term effects on the child will be if a breastfeeding trans woman uses all kinds of off-label hormones,” Dr. Jane Orient, executive director of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, told The Daily Mail..“The CDC has a responsibility to talk about the health risks, but they have been derelict in doing that.”.Dr. Stuart Fischer, an internal medicine physician in New York, said it is “very hard to believe” that men’s drug-produced breast milk would be comparable to biological women’s break milk..“You can’t fool Mother Nature,” Fischer told The Daily Mail. .“If it’s been tested a handful of times, how would we know the long-range effect? The short-term is one thing, but the long-term in terms of physical and mental illness … who knows? It’s an emerging field, to put it mildly.”.In its emergency child feeding tool kit, the CDC provides tips on “equity.” .According to the CDC, it is suggested to use terms like “pregnant person,” “breastfeeding parent,” and “lactating person” instead of using terms like woman or mother..The emergency tool kit also has information about preferred pronouns. .The CDC suggests that people should ask others which terms, names, and pronouns they prefer. .It is also recommended that individuals share their own pronouns when introducing themselves, which helps others feel more comfortable sharing their pronouns..“If an individual corrects your pronoun use, it’s best to briefly acknowledge the mistake and correct the pronoun going forward. Spending too much time apologizing for the error can bring more attention and discomfort to the simple mistake,” said the CDC.
