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Yes, trans women can #breastfeed – and research shows it’s perfectly healthy and safe for both mother and baby. Most people assume that only #cisgender women can breastfeed, but a combination of medical research and anecdotal evidence prove this is not the case. In fact, we know that #trans women can successfully breastfeed their children – and that the milk they produce can, at the very least, be just as nutritious as that produced by the birthing parent. In 2018, the medical journal Transgender Health published a case study that detailed how a trans woman living in New York was able to induce lactation using a “basic framework” established by previous researchers. In order to breastfeed, the woman’s dosage of an oestrogen steroid hormone called oestradiol was increased, as was her dosage of another hormone called progesterone. She was also given a galactagogue – medication designed to boost lactation supply – to increase her prolactin levels. Finally, the woman was told to use a breast pump before her partner gave birth, to help increase her level of prolactin, a hormone made by the pituitary gland which helps breasts grow and create milk. The woman’s story made headlines across the world because of the success of her treatment. Three months after starting her regimen of medication, she was able to produce eight ounces – approximately 236mm – of breast milk each day. Many people assume that only cisgender women can breastfeed, but research shows this is not the case. (STR/AFP via Getty) She went on to exclusively breastfeed her baby for six weeks. Her paediatrician reported that the child’s “growth, feeding and bowel habits were developmentally appropriate” during that time. After six weeks, the woman began supplementing her breastfeeding with formula out of concern that she wasn’t producing a high enough volume of milk. Trans women’s breast milk is shown to be healthy and nutritious While that study proved what many trans women and other non-birthing parents already knew – that they are physically able to breastfeed – it didn’t give an in-depth insight into the nutritional make-up of the woman’s milk. However, a paper by Amy K Weimer, published in the May issue of Journal of Human Lactation, focused on that. Much like the 2018 study, Weimer’s research featured a single case study, this time of a 46-year-old trans woman who wanted to find out if she could “support her partner during the early postpartum months” by helping out with breastfeeding. In the months leading up to the birth of their child, the woman underwent a similar treatment regimen to that detailed in the earlier study. After the baby was born, she found she was able to produce around 150mm of breast milk per day over five pumping sessions. Two weeks after the birth, she started breastfeeding once or twice a day “with good success” while a bottle of her pumped milk was also occasionally offered. Trans women can provide healthy, nutritious breastmilk to their children with the right regimen of medication – although academics are clear that further research is needed to back up findings from individual case studies. (Getty) For her paper, Weimer also performed an analysis on four samples of breast milk the woman had produced, to better understand its nutritional qualities. She found that the milk “showed values of protein, fat, lactose and calorie content at or above those of standard-term milk”. The woman at the centre of the study was also able to attest to the extraordinary impact breastfeeding had on her relationship with her child. The paper reported she found it to be both “emotionally fulfilling” and “pragmatic” to be able to help her partner with breastfeeding responsibilities. “I continue to feel heartened that I was able to do this for baby and have such a connection with her during her earliest days. It’s something that so many women do and definitely felt special to me,” the woman said. | Trans Women Can Breastfeed | Country: GB
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