it is dystopian. and when people in authority are fuelling it, it's worrying. but thank goodness we still have platforms like substack where we can hold them to account!
I was talking about this with my colleagues recently, I'm so glad they have done something about it. Definitely needs more to be done but it's a massive step in the right direction! 🙏🏻
When my nipples were sucked down to bleeding stubs by my ravenous daughter by week three and I had to transfer her to formula for about ten days to let them heal, then went back gradually to the breast via a breast pump, which was less hard on the nipple, for several months, her father gave her the night feed of pumped milk while I noisily pumped out the next feed with a hand pump. I remember thinking, what a pity his nipples couldn't have been used for the feeding and we could have taken turns instead of using the bottle and pump. Lack of sleep might have contributed to this strange thought. But make no mistake, having birthed, fed and raised three humans to adulthood, it is more than clear to me that male humans not only lack the physical capacity to breastfeed. Just about everything women endure on the reproduction front, from decades of menstruation and contraception, to abortion and miscarriage, pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding, men do not have anywhere near the emotional stamina, strength or self-sacrifice for. The fact that some of them - including those running the BBC and NHS - need to believe they could do ALL of it, both physically and mentally, and it would be fun to do it all, just goes to show how little self-awareness these men have, and, as ever, how little they know about or value all that women do. As for their handmaidens, I have no words, only sounds GRRRR... But for mothers like you Milli who not only do ALL of that but who fight the political fight for women's rights HARD, you are a total shero to us all. We have so much to thank you for. Best of luck for the final push on your next book! I bet it's a beaut. XX
thanks so much for the support and solidarity, it means a lot.
yes it's really insulting to women who have spent hours, days, weeks of their lives in the work of breastfeeding isn't it? I completely agree it shows massive entitlement and lack of self awareness, also complete disrespect for women and what we do. Infuriating!! xx
Great stuff - the idea that breastmilk from men is equivalent to women’s is of course a gross sex denial, and a gross denial of the importance of mothers to babies. That’s why genderist ideology wants *so badly* to convince the world it doesn’t even matter if a man breastfeeds a baby and actually he might do it even better than the mother. So pleased your persistence got the BBC to investigate. ❤️❤️
I find this whole concept baffling. And immensely sexist. How do you think that men involved in an erectile dysfunction support group would welcome some woman pretending to be a man who couldn't get her stitched-on phallus up? Not bloody likely mate!
And all the women debating the merits of "man milk" as if this topic is deserving of serious research monies. WTAF? Women are not supported to breastfeed in most Western nations, so we think that men might do a better job of it?
My bottom line is that there has to be an extraordinarily good reason to disrupt the mother/baby dyad (which is the foundational relationship for every and all human societies and cultures) and letting men use babies as props for "womanly" affirmation just doesn't cut it. Not to mention that this is unregulated medical experimentation on babies who are unable to consent. https://lucyleader.substack.com/p/girls-can-do-anything-but-sorry-boys
Providing "chestfeeding kits" for men is just normalizing a male sexual fetish. What's next, promoting some other angle of sexually abusing babies? Or just going on with the mother erasing by buying lab made "breast" milk? https://lucyleader.substack.com/p/all-that-glitters-is-not-gold
If babies had a voice, I know they would all be asking "where is my mother?" when bright sparks like these guys and their supporters come along. How about we prioritize the actual NEEDS of babies over the wants, desires and wishes of adults?
I was recently reading one of the scientific articles about a trans-identifying male who induced breast fluid production. I was shocked when one of the statements in the paper cited a reference that stated the OPPOSITE of what they claimed.
Sometimes males also take spironolactone to induce lactation. This hormone also gets passed into breast fluid. It's linked to causing a baby boy's genitals to develop abnormally.
In one paper about male lactation (https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1186/s13006-024-00624-1.pdf), it was stated that "Spironolactone is often used, and though it crosses the placenta and into human milk, it is considered safe during chestfeeding." It cites a reference from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The AAP article does NOT state that either of those drugs are safe for a nursing infant!
The AAP article states: "Use of a drug with a significant adverse effect in a lactating woman (such as an arrhythmia) may be acceptable to treat a serious illness in the mother; however, use of the same drug to increase milk production would not be acceptable."
Great work Milli, and a fantastic response to the Telegraph ❤️ awful to think this is where we're at!
it is dystopian. and when people in authority are fuelling it, it's worrying. but thank goodness we still have platforms like substack where we can hold them to account!
I was talking about this with my colleagues recently, I'm so glad they have done something about it. Definitely needs more to be done but it's a massive step in the right direction! 🙏🏻
yes it really is good progress!
When my nipples were sucked down to bleeding stubs by my ravenous daughter by week three and I had to transfer her to formula for about ten days to let them heal, then went back gradually to the breast via a breast pump, which was less hard on the nipple, for several months, her father gave her the night feed of pumped milk while I noisily pumped out the next feed with a hand pump. I remember thinking, what a pity his nipples couldn't have been used for the feeding and we could have taken turns instead of using the bottle and pump. Lack of sleep might have contributed to this strange thought. But make no mistake, having birthed, fed and raised three humans to adulthood, it is more than clear to me that male humans not only lack the physical capacity to breastfeed. Just about everything women endure on the reproduction front, from decades of menstruation and contraception, to abortion and miscarriage, pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding, men do not have anywhere near the emotional stamina, strength or self-sacrifice for. The fact that some of them - including those running the BBC and NHS - need to believe they could do ALL of it, both physically and mentally, and it would be fun to do it all, just goes to show how little self-awareness these men have, and, as ever, how little they know about or value all that women do. As for their handmaidens, I have no words, only sounds GRRRR... But for mothers like you Milli who not only do ALL of that but who fight the political fight for women's rights HARD, you are a total shero to us all. We have so much to thank you for. Best of luck for the final push on your next book! I bet it's a beaut. XX
thanks so much for the support and solidarity, it means a lot.
yes it's really insulting to women who have spent hours, days, weeks of their lives in the work of breastfeeding isn't it? I completely agree it shows massive entitlement and lack of self awareness, also complete disrespect for women and what we do. Infuriating!! xx
Great stuff - the idea that breastmilk from men is equivalent to women’s is of course a gross sex denial, and a gross denial of the importance of mothers to babies. That’s why genderist ideology wants *so badly* to convince the world it doesn’t even matter if a man breastfeeds a baby and actually he might do it even better than the mother. So pleased your persistence got the BBC to investigate. ❤️❤️
I find this whole concept baffling. And immensely sexist. How do you think that men involved in an erectile dysfunction support group would welcome some woman pretending to be a man who couldn't get her stitched-on phallus up? Not bloody likely mate!
And all the women debating the merits of "man milk" as if this topic is deserving of serious research monies. WTAF? Women are not supported to breastfeed in most Western nations, so we think that men might do a better job of it?
My bottom line is that there has to be an extraordinarily good reason to disrupt the mother/baby dyad (which is the foundational relationship for every and all human societies and cultures) and letting men use babies as props for "womanly" affirmation just doesn't cut it. Not to mention that this is unregulated medical experimentation on babies who are unable to consent. https://lucyleader.substack.com/p/girls-can-do-anything-but-sorry-boys
Providing "chestfeeding kits" for men is just normalizing a male sexual fetish. What's next, promoting some other angle of sexually abusing babies? Or just going on with the mother erasing by buying lab made "breast" milk? https://lucyleader.substack.com/p/all-that-glitters-is-not-gold
If babies had a voice, I know they would all be asking "where is my mother?" when bright sparks like these guys and their supporters come along. How about we prioritize the actual NEEDS of babies over the wants, desires and wishes of adults?
I was recently reading one of the scientific articles about a trans-identifying male who induced breast fluid production. I was shocked when one of the statements in the paper cited a reference that stated the OPPOSITE of what they claimed.
Long story short: Males take domperidone to induce fluid production. Domperidone is illegal in the US because it can harm the heart of a nursing infant. It is also illegal to import it. http://www.fda.gov/drugs/drugsafety/informationbydrugclass/ucm173886.htm
Sometimes males also take spironolactone to induce lactation. This hormone also gets passed into breast fluid. It's linked to causing a baby boy's genitals to develop abnormally.
In one paper about male lactation (https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1186/s13006-024-00624-1.pdf), it was stated that "Spironolactone is often used, and though it crosses the placenta and into human milk, it is considered safe during chestfeeding." It cites a reference from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The AAP article does NOT state that either of those drugs are safe for a nursing infant!
The AAP article states: "Use of a drug with a significant adverse effect in a lactating woman (such as an arrhythmia) may be acceptable to treat a serious illness in the mother; however, use of the same drug to increase milk production would not be acceptable."
https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/132/3/e796/31630/The-Transfer-of-Drugs-and-Therapeutics-Into-Human?autologincheck=redirected