[jaxie]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-43071901

Saw this in the news and thought it was worth discussion. I'm quite concerned about the use of drugs and what effect they could have on the baby. Plus the hormone replacement therapy this person has already been on for 6 years. It sounds a bit like experimenting on the baby and I'm not in favour of that without lots of studies to show its safe.

I'd also like to know more about the vitamins and nutrients they tell us is in breast milk and why breast is best and whether they are present in the milk produced. Does the baby still get that or is it just basic nutrition?

"The 30-year-old wanted to breastfeed after her pregnant partner said she did not want to do it herself, according to the Transgender Health journal.
She was able to breastfeed after taking a course of drugs and breast pumping, the US case report said."

[Vicky.]

Oh its so ridiculous. Have been discussing this elsewhere. This is totally done for validation of the transwoman, not for the good of the baby. I really do not think breast milk produced by a male person with such a huge cocktail of drugs should be done, at least not without research. The medical 'professionals' involved in this should be ashamed.

Meanwhile, breastfeeding support for actual women is near non-existent.

[jaxie]

Originally Posted by Vicky.

Oh its so ridiculous. Have been discussing this elsewhere. This is totally done for validation of the transwoman, not for the good of the baby. I really do not think breast milk produced by a male person with such a huge cocktail of drugs should be done, at least not without research. The medical 'professionals' involved in this should be ashamed.

Meanwhile, breastfeeding support for actual women is near non-existent.

That this was done more for the ego/validation of the trans person rather than the benefit of the baby was my instinct too. I was very concerned about the drug element.

Even what you eat can effect baby when you are breast feeding.

[Cherie]

Given you have to be careful what you eat and drink when breastfeeding, this is really off, this is someone who puts their needs before the health of the child

[Crimson Dynamo]

poor kid

[Withano]

It is so difficult to get ethical approval in research studies involving infants, that I'd imagine the risks were suspected to be minimal, but there isn't even a title to this project yet so I doubt theres enough evidence either way (then again it would have been terminated long ago if there was the slightest ounce of harm, so its probably going better than you think... guess we'll have to wait til he publishes his work to find out).

[Alf]

We used to have nuthouses to put these kind of people in. Now a lot of them are given jobs teaching our children.

[Vicky.]

Originally Posted by jaxie

That this was done more for the ego/validation of the trans person rather than the benefit of the baby was my instinct too. I was very concerned about the drug element.

Even what you eat can effect baby when you are breast feeding.

I know domperidone is apparently safe, as I used that when breastfeeding my first child (after disastrous breastfeeding 'support' where I was basically bullied into formula feeding when in hospital) but the rest of the drugs..a bit suspect tbh. No way has 'male breastfeeding' been studied enough to prove its safe and actually beneficial. Mens bodies just are not meant to breastfeed. Hell, I had to stop my antidepressants when BFing as apparently those could harm my child. We should not be funding male breastfeeding IMO and should be giving more support to women who want to breastfeed.

This has been done solely for the transwoman. That much is quite obvious.

[Rob!]

I didn't even realise this was possible

[Vicky.]

Case report - http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/pdf...trgh.2017.0044

[Ramsay]

hahaha what aload of ****

[Tozzie]

It is not natural for a man to breastfeed!! Why the hell are they doing this. There are plenty of women willing to express milk for babies, no need for this at all which could quite possibly be putting a baby at risk. Madness, but then the whole world has gone ruddy mad so I don't know why I'm surprised.
who will take a guess at 'whatever next'

[Gstar]

Originally Posted by Vicky.

Oh its so ridiculous. Have been discussing this elsewhere. This is totally done for validation of the transwoman, not for the good of the baby. I really do not think breast milk produced by a male person with such a huge cocktail of drugs should be done, at least not without research. The medical 'professionals' involved in this should be ashamed.

Meanwhile, breastfeeding support for actual women is near non-existent.

This

[GoldHeart]

Originally Posted by Rob!

I didn't even realise this was possible

Me neither , and I agree what people are saying about her being selfish for her own validation.

The health of the baby is important and that should come first, if a woman can't drink alcohol or sniff coke while breastfeeding then why is this acceptable?! .

[Jordan.]

[Maru]

People are so self-centered now and we just indulge them.

[Jamie89]

According to the article, the drugs she was put on in order to be able to breastfeed are the same ones that women are given who have adopted babies or had them via surrogates and would otherwise be unable to breastfeed, so I'm not sure why there'd be concerns about the drugs, unless I'm missing something. I agree though that it's more about her than her baby's needs, but then lots of mothers decide to breastfeed or decide not to breastfeed for their own personal reasons, so as long as the baby isn't actually being harmed and is healthy I don't see why that would be such a big issue.

[Maru]

Originally Posted by Jamie89

According to the article, the drugs she was put on in order to be able to breastfeed are the same ones that women are given who have adopted babies or had them via surrogates and would otherwise be unable to breastfeed, so I'm not sure why there'd be concerns about the drugs, unless I'm missing something. I agree though that it's more about her than her baby's needs, but then lots of mothers decide to breastfeed or decide not to breastfeed for their own personal reasons, so as long as the baby isn't actually being harmed and is healthy I don't see why that would be such a big issue.

I think it's more the issue it's the "because we can" mentality rather than encouraging the one who actually gave birth to breastfeed the child. It's always better the child is breastfed without any sort of medications in our system. They may technically be safe (and even that can change with research), but the milk is always better from a mother who has not been medicated prior or during.

[Jamie89]

Originally Posted by Maru

I think it's more the issue it's the "because we can" mentality rather than encouraging the one who actually gave birth to breastfeed the child. It's always better the child is breastfed without any sort of medications in our system. They may technically be safe (and even that can change with research), but the milk is always better from a mother who has not been medicated prior or during.

Apparently the mother didn't want to breastfeed, I'm not sure what normally happens, if doctors would intervene and try and encourage them to, and if they did or not in this situation, it doesn't go into it, but if they did and she still chose not to there's not really a lot that can be done about that?

[hijaxers]

Originally Posted by Vicky.

Oh its so ridiculous. Have been discussing this elsewhere. This is totally done for validation of the transwoman, not for the good of the baby. I really do not think breast milk produced by a male person with such a huge cocktail of drugs should be done, at least not without research. The medical 'professionals' involved in this should be ashamed.

Meanwhile, breastfeeding support for actual women is near non-existent.

This is quite shocking ! This is a childs life being put in danger What just to prove a point. Madness and its going way too far.

[Vicky.]

There is not just the domperidone. Thats safe and given to mothers to help with supply, I was on that. Its the other drugs he will be on. If you are not meant to take any drugs at all when BFing (I was told paracetmol only..besides the domperidone) then this is wrong on so many level as he wil be on homrones, anti androgens and such too. There appears to have been no research into if 'male breast milk' is even suitable for a baby, nor has any thought gone into if the cocktail of drugs this person is on is harmful.

Plus its all about validation for the transwoman. Not to do with the baby. And thats ****ing wrong. We should not experiment on babies in this way just to make a male feel more 'like a woman'.

[user104658]

I do agree that it's taking a pretty big gamble with the health of an infant and probably isn't the BEST idea...

... However, I have to admit I find the fact that it's physically possible really quite fascinating, in purely scientific terms.

[Maru]

Originally Posted by Jamie89

Apparently the mother didn't want to breastfeed, I'm not sure what normally happens, if doctors would intervene and try and encourage them to, and if they did or not in this situation, it doesn't go into it, but if they did and she still chose not to there's not really a lot that can be done about that?

If I told my husband I didn't want to breastfeed and asked him if he could take some hormones for me, that wouldn't go very well. I would have serious guilt as a mother if I didn't, so I can't understand not doing it for your child when you are able... just seems like a dubious decision on both ends.

We can keep people who are on vent and brain-dead alive indefinitely using medications, so there's no reason we can't manage to do a fair bit of medical magic in many other ways... but it doesn't make it the best idea sometimes. Some doctors I think like to do things just to push the envelope just a little bit further...

[Vicky.]

Originally Posted by Maru

We can keep people who are on vent and brain-dead alive indefinitely using medications, so there's no reason we can't manage to do a fair bit of medical magic in many other ways... but it doesn't make it the best idea sometimes. Some doctors I think like to do things just to push the envelope just a little bit further...

Just because we can do something, does not mean that we should.

Basically experimenting on children so grown males can feel better about themselves is disgusting IMO.

[Maru]

Originally Posted by Vicky.

Just because we can do something, does not mean that we should.

Basically experimenting on children so grown males can feel better about themselves is disgusting IMO.

I see no lies