Males with medically induced galactorrhea have no business feeding that substance to a helpless infant. I was chided not to drink coffee while nursing FFS. Now it's okay to allow babies to consume a chemical cocktail in the name of propping up the fetish of a few autogynephiles? What the hell is wrong with people? This social contagion can't go away soon enough.
It does almost make it worse (as if that were possible) when you consider how tightly women's pregnant and breastfeeding body is regulated, doesn't it?!
These men get what they want with the same tried and tested tactics as always - violence and the threat of violence. This lot have added a claim of victimhood so that those who acquiesce to this horror can pretend to themselves and others that they are “being kind”.
I feel so sorry for the mothers and babies caught up in this. It is unforgivable.
I had a special place in my heart for LLL, as when I was a young single mother determined to breastfeed through many challenges (low supply, separation from my baby so I could go to school and my job, thrush, a bad tongue tie,etc), LLL and their text (when it still included “womanly”) truly helped me gain trust in my body and my abilities. I went on to nurse that child for 4 years and have worked in various aspects of lactation support and obstetric nursing in the 12 years since, and am seeing the language shift before my very eyes in a very real way in the hospital and research institution/medical school I work at.
Because I found the mother-to-mother aspect of LLL to be what makes it both so special and so effective, and because I find their founding story so compelling and inspiring, these shifts truly feel like a smack in the face to all nursing mothers. Mother-to-mother support has death spiraled into mother-to-man support and many of the leaders and higher-ups being seemingly just fine with this is a true shame.
I was in many of the official LLL Facebook groups for years as both a mother and as a lactation professional and recently got booted from their “Inducing Lactation and Relacation” group as a result of questioning the sharing of a case study about a male inducing lactation. The case study was being shared by the man himself who was a member of the group and who was even offering copies of the pdf of the “research” to members of the group. I am sharing actual quotes here to illustrate just how deluded they are.
The leader in the group’s response to this man was as follows- “What a wonderful experience as you build your family, and I'm so glad you and your doctor could publish and help others with what you learned! I'd love a copy of the pdf, I will PM you as well!”.
My response to her- “Leader Dorothy: Why is a male being wholeheartedly supported in a lactation group? Does anyone else here not oppose medical resources and funds being funneled into researching such a recreational and unnecessary self-indulgent practice when it should be reserved for real women who are struggling? I'm sure this group would be keen on kicking out real women who need actual help to lactate and feed their babies in favor of keeping men in too, and what a shame. Lactation is a female experience, and pretending that just because males have milk lines and can lactate in certain very specific, manipulated conditions that they SHOULD do so is so wrong. Quit using literal babies as props to affirm your delusions.”
I then was kicked out from the group, but only after receiving a warning from a leader which stated “This is an inclusive group. Transphobia is not allowed. We are happy to support you in your journey, but this group may not be the right fit for you.”
They also stated I had engaged in hate speech and bullying.
Before getting officially kicked out I did a quick search of the group and found there were many males included. There were many questions by trans-identified men in the group being happily and cheerfully answered by LLL leaders, and there were even a few instances of the leaders posting outside articles with titles like “Trans Women Can Breastfeed!” completely unprovoked and of their own volition.
I wrote a whole article about this and more, if you, Milli, or any of your readers would like to see the screenshots or quote any of the leaders’ comments. There are many. It can be found here:
My true concern is the prioritization of males over females here. I’m just going to quote myself from that article to save time, but this is the essence of the issue:
This is why this makes me rage. It’s not just about a single Facebook group, it’s not just about pander-heavy inclusivity policies, it’s not just about group rules or book titles or special trainings or guidance on how to best make trans-identified people comfortable at support meetings-my rage is about other women abandoning women, throwing us to the wolves for not complying with their games, forgetting why they are there in the first place. Lactation support isn’t just about milk supply and latches and weaning-it is about seeing one another as fully actualized women who are integrating the female experience. In inviting men into that space, La Leche League is turning their backs to real women who need the witnessing required to work through hard motherhood moments.
Men do not have a place at the breastfeeding table, and I hold a lot of gratitude for those women in the institution that are holding their ground. Thank you Milli for exposing this and for sharing the words of women in LLL and other similar organizations.
Even normal non-creepy dads aren't welcome in breastfeeding support groups (and if they're good men they respect and understand that), because having men there changes the dynamic and a lot of mothers won't feel comfortable or safe talking about or showing their breasts around men. How much worse must it be to have men with a sexual fetish for lactation there?
A depressing observation, but almost certainly true. My wife found breastfeeding a deeply personal experience and enjoyed a special time with each of her babies. Women - not least my mum - were certainly not welcome either!
I was a Leader with La Leche League of Western PA and was asked to retire from my position in Leader accreditation because I spoke out against men breastfeeding. At the time I had been a volunteer Leader for 22 years and had planned to help moms in this way for many more years. It's very sad.
That's an absolute disgrace that all your knowledge and skills were cast aside in this way, and males were instead prioritised. Can't these people see what they are colluding with??!
Thanks, Milli. The elephant in the room is, ironically, sex. Why would men want to do this? Having clearly led a sheltered life, I had no idea about lactation porn and the fact some men get their jollies talking about it and imagining doing it until well into my life as a breastfeeding counsellor (I’m now retired).
It’s actually uncomfortable for the mainstream media to go into this, and to raise its implications when real babies are involved.
So they avoid it; even when running stories about it, it’ll be from a ‘would you believe it???!!!!’ point of view.
I was a LLL GB leader in the 90s after my 3rd child. I went on to become a midwife and was always grateful for the excellent training I’d received as a mother supporting others as the teaching for breastfeeding in midwifery was abysmal… Anyway, I was long retired before all this nonsense hit and it just makes me terribly sad. It is the ‘sisterhood’ element of peer support that is the heart and soul of what I know works in this world. It’s a bit like the mothers who’ve affirmed their children in trans ideology - having gone that far you can’t reverse without admitting the harm you have supported - LLL are in a no win situation - they stick to their current line and LLL is finished… eventually - they do a u-turn and they can never be trusted again…
We’re fighting back more successfully in midwifery I think… the key is not to back down - hopefully those LLL women who’ve stayed true to the original principles are the only hood for the future of such organisations.
You are so right Lynn. It's depressing. Divide and conquer by the patriarchy and we have lost all those rooms of women supporting each other in a flash. I think it's really important that we somehow find a way to protect women only spaces for that 'sisterhood element' you mention, not just for privacy, dignity etc.
Not a LLL story, but I found myself listening to an NPR piece on the Florida abortion law the other day and not once did they use the words “woman” or “women.” It was all about “people who find out they’re pregnant.”
This euphemising instead using the words 'pregnant women' hurts the most vulnerable. That longer phrase in the context of everything else in the topic, how stressed they already are, the background noises and so on, increases the cognitive load for those with English as a second language, those with difficulties in auditory processing, those with autism, those with lower cognitive abilities. But these women who are themselves quite bright, capable of using English and familiar with the topic ignore the criticism and steam roll over any attempt to dialogue with thought terminating abuse: bigot, trasphobic, be kind....
A very helpful woman sends me USA instagram posts for the Word is Woman every week, I never have space for them all as there are DOZENS. And they all erase women. It's shocking.
I've created a few posts on how all the breastfeeding organisations in the UK have been captured by gender ideology activists for some years now. My own de-identified case is summarised by Milli. I've been aware of the capture of the breastfeeding and birth associations since 2017. By now they are seriously entrenched and I am aware that even the Charity Commission is captured. So I wait to see what the fallout will be. With the Forstater ruling and the Cass Report, I hope that the tide will begin to turn in these organisations. However, I am not holding my breath. This is a sub-culture of its own and these social settings by their nature, I think they gender activism will be harder to remove now that they're entrenched. I hope I'm proven wrong. Feel free to explore some of what I've written so far. https://yolandaforster.substack.com/
Maybe it's time for the LLL to just go away if they are going to eagerly erase women just to show how woke they are. My daughter is breastfeeding her son after having much difficulty with her daughter (tongue&lip tie). I didn't nurse for very long so I was no real help, but she's found a wealth of knowledge online in addition to some at the hospital.
Yes I think that's a good point. But also a shame in some ways as you cannot beat the power of being in a room full of other supportive women. It's a shame to lose that 'real life' element, the human connection.
I agree, I just read your recent post about women-only spaces and I couldn't agree more. I do see the long term damage that will be done with the demise of any women-only group that's brought about by the insanity of the trans people pushing into our spaces expecting acceptance when they clearly don't deserve it. It'll make creating new spaces just for us that much harder, unless women grow a pair and stop being pushed around by the trans community. I'm not being a hater, just a truth teller. The problem is today not many people like or accept the truth.
To induce breast fluid production, males must take prescription hormones for months. The male patient takes progesterone, sometimes rectally. They take domperidone, which can cause cardiac problems in the nursing baby. They also take spironolactone, which has been directly linked with causing a baby boy's genitals to develop abnormally.
Proposing to do this for a medical study would be unethical. I can't believe that any health professional would advocate for this.
It absolutely beggars belief and the insult is compounded by the lengths women go to when pregnant or breastfeeding, not eating f***king blue cheese or turning down champagne at bloody weddings! FFS! Makes me furious!!!
Domperidone is not available as a prescription drug in the US specifically because it can cause heart problems in a nursing child. Importation is banned. There's no lawful way for a male to follow the regimen in the United States. It is madness to enable ILLEGAL drug use that will HARM A BABY.
I work with women for weeks as they struggle to establish breastfeeding and it is a total labour of love for them. The commitment and dedication should be rewarded with public admiration, instead we get this insulting drivel rammed down our necks. Women are no further forward than in the ‘50’s, it just looks that way. It makes me so furious!
it's like just as women began to reconcile the idea that breastfeeding and birth were indeed superpowers that they could do and still remain progressive feminists, in stepped the males to say they were women as well.
Once again ,I am incandescent with rage at this despicable war on women and children !!
Destroying the mother and baby bond will result in a destroyed society where mental illness and barbarity are the norm !! I am absolutely appalled that any woman would support this abhorrent female erasing ,child mutilating ,cult and I find their virtue signalling cowardice completely despicable.Tbh, I despair. Thanks ,Milli. Keep posting 👍🙏❤️
A very disturbing but highly informative way to start my morning… This change in language and hostile takeover by gender ideologues has me selfishly concerned for what kind of environment I will find myself in as we’re hoping to have a baby in the coming two years.
Males with medically induced galactorrhea have no business feeding that substance to a helpless infant. I was chided not to drink coffee while nursing FFS. Now it's okay to allow babies to consume a chemical cocktail in the name of propping up the fetish of a few autogynephiles? What the hell is wrong with people? This social contagion can't go away soon enough.
It does almost make it worse (as if that were possible) when you consider how tightly women's pregnant and breastfeeding body is regulated, doesn't it?!
These men get what they want with the same tried and tested tactics as always - violence and the threat of violence. This lot have added a claim of victimhood so that those who acquiesce to this horror can pretend to themselves and others that they are “being kind”.
I feel so sorry for the mothers and babies caught up in this. It is unforgivable.
yes it is.
I had a special place in my heart for LLL, as when I was a young single mother determined to breastfeed through many challenges (low supply, separation from my baby so I could go to school and my job, thrush, a bad tongue tie,etc), LLL and their text (when it still included “womanly”) truly helped me gain trust in my body and my abilities. I went on to nurse that child for 4 years and have worked in various aspects of lactation support and obstetric nursing in the 12 years since, and am seeing the language shift before my very eyes in a very real way in the hospital and research institution/medical school I work at.
Because I found the mother-to-mother aspect of LLL to be what makes it both so special and so effective, and because I find their founding story so compelling and inspiring, these shifts truly feel like a smack in the face to all nursing mothers. Mother-to-mother support has death spiraled into mother-to-man support and many of the leaders and higher-ups being seemingly just fine with this is a true shame.
I was in many of the official LLL Facebook groups for years as both a mother and as a lactation professional and recently got booted from their “Inducing Lactation and Relacation” group as a result of questioning the sharing of a case study about a male inducing lactation. The case study was being shared by the man himself who was a member of the group and who was even offering copies of the pdf of the “research” to members of the group. I am sharing actual quotes here to illustrate just how deluded they are.
The leader in the group’s response to this man was as follows- “What a wonderful experience as you build your family, and I'm so glad you and your doctor could publish and help others with what you learned! I'd love a copy of the pdf, I will PM you as well!”.
My response to her- “Leader Dorothy: Why is a male being wholeheartedly supported in a lactation group? Does anyone else here not oppose medical resources and funds being funneled into researching such a recreational and unnecessary self-indulgent practice when it should be reserved for real women who are struggling? I'm sure this group would be keen on kicking out real women who need actual help to lactate and feed their babies in favor of keeping men in too, and what a shame. Lactation is a female experience, and pretending that just because males have milk lines and can lactate in certain very specific, manipulated conditions that they SHOULD do so is so wrong. Quit using literal babies as props to affirm your delusions.”
I then was kicked out from the group, but only after receiving a warning from a leader which stated “This is an inclusive group. Transphobia is not allowed. We are happy to support you in your journey, but this group may not be the right fit for you.”
They also stated I had engaged in hate speech and bullying.
Before getting officially kicked out I did a quick search of the group and found there were many males included. There were many questions by trans-identified men in the group being happily and cheerfully answered by LLL leaders, and there were even a few instances of the leaders posting outside articles with titles like “Trans Women Can Breastfeed!” completely unprovoked and of their own volition.
I wrote a whole article about this and more, if you, Milli, or any of your readers would like to see the screenshots or quote any of the leaders’ comments. There are many. It can be found here:
https://theworkofwomen.substack.com/p/recreational-lactation
My true concern is the prioritization of males over females here. I’m just going to quote myself from that article to save time, but this is the essence of the issue:
This is why this makes me rage. It’s not just about a single Facebook group, it’s not just about pander-heavy inclusivity policies, it’s not just about group rules or book titles or special trainings or guidance on how to best make trans-identified people comfortable at support meetings-my rage is about other women abandoning women, throwing us to the wolves for not complying with their games, forgetting why they are there in the first place. Lactation support isn’t just about milk supply and latches and weaning-it is about seeing one another as fully actualized women who are integrating the female experience. In inviting men into that space, La Leche League is turning their backs to real women who need the witnessing required to work through hard motherhood moments.
Men do not have a place at the breastfeeding table, and I hold a lot of gratitude for those women in the institution that are holding their ground. Thank you Milli for exposing this and for sharing the words of women in LLL and other similar organizations.
Thanks for sharing this and I will now share it widely. FFS.
Even normal non-creepy dads aren't welcome in breastfeeding support groups (and if they're good men they respect and understand that), because having men there changes the dynamic and a lot of mothers won't feel comfortable or safe talking about or showing their breasts around men. How much worse must it be to have men with a sexual fetish for lactation there?
A depressing observation, but almost certainly true. My wife found breastfeeding a deeply personal experience and enjoyed a special time with each of her babies. Women - not least my mum - were certainly not welcome either!
We really need to protect female only spaces, as you say, even if it is nothing to do with trans women, they still matter.
I was a Leader with La Leche League of Western PA and was asked to retire from my position in Leader accreditation because I spoke out against men breastfeeding. At the time I had been a volunteer Leader for 22 years and had planned to help moms in this way for many more years. It's very sad.
It’s appalling that your skills were not only devalued and diminished but denied by some ideologically captured person .
That's an absolute disgrace that all your knowledge and skills were cast aside in this way, and males were instead prioritised. Can't these people see what they are colluding with??!
Thanks, Milli. The elephant in the room is, ironically, sex. Why would men want to do this? Having clearly led a sheltered life, I had no idea about lactation porn and the fact some men get their jollies talking about it and imagining doing it until well into my life as a breastfeeding counsellor (I’m now retired).
It’s actually uncomfortable for the mainstream media to go into this, and to raise its implications when real babies are involved.
So they avoid it; even when running stories about it, it’ll be from a ‘would you believe it???!!!!’ point of view.
I was a LLL GB leader in the 90s after my 3rd child. I went on to become a midwife and was always grateful for the excellent training I’d received as a mother supporting others as the teaching for breastfeeding in midwifery was abysmal… Anyway, I was long retired before all this nonsense hit and it just makes me terribly sad. It is the ‘sisterhood’ element of peer support that is the heart and soul of what I know works in this world. It’s a bit like the mothers who’ve affirmed their children in trans ideology - having gone that far you can’t reverse without admitting the harm you have supported - LLL are in a no win situation - they stick to their current line and LLL is finished… eventually - they do a u-turn and they can never be trusted again…
We’re fighting back more successfully in midwifery I think… the key is not to back down - hopefully those LLL women who’ve stayed true to the original principles are the only hood for the future of such organisations.
You are so right Lynn. It's depressing. Divide and conquer by the patriarchy and we have lost all those rooms of women supporting each other in a flash. I think it's really important that we somehow find a way to protect women only spaces for that 'sisterhood element' you mention, not just for privacy, dignity etc.
Not a LLL story, but I found myself listening to an NPR piece on the Florida abortion law the other day and not once did they use the words “woman” or “women.” It was all about “people who find out they’re pregnant.”
This euphemising instead using the words 'pregnant women' hurts the most vulnerable. That longer phrase in the context of everything else in the topic, how stressed they already are, the background noises and so on, increases the cognitive load for those with English as a second language, those with difficulties in auditory processing, those with autism, those with lower cognitive abilities. But these women who are themselves quite bright, capable of using English and familiar with the topic ignore the criticism and steam roll over any attempt to dialogue with thought terminating abuse: bigot, trasphobic, be kind....
A very helpful woman sends me USA instagram posts for the Word is Woman every week, I never have space for them all as there are DOZENS. And they all erase women. It's shocking.
I've created a few posts on how all the breastfeeding organisations in the UK have been captured by gender ideology activists for some years now. My own de-identified case is summarised by Milli. I've been aware of the capture of the breastfeeding and birth associations since 2017. By now they are seriously entrenched and I am aware that even the Charity Commission is captured. So I wait to see what the fallout will be. With the Forstater ruling and the Cass Report, I hope that the tide will begin to turn in these organisations. However, I am not holding my breath. This is a sub-culture of its own and these social settings by their nature, I think they gender activism will be harder to remove now that they're entrenched. I hope I'm proven wrong. Feel free to explore some of what I've written so far. https://yolandaforster.substack.com/
thanks, your work and activism and support of me have been invaluable and are so appreciated. xx
Maybe it's time for the LLL to just go away if they are going to eagerly erase women just to show how woke they are. My daughter is breastfeeding her son after having much difficulty with her daughter (tongue&lip tie). I didn't nurse for very long so I was no real help, but she's found a wealth of knowledge online in addition to some at the hospital.
Yes I think that's a good point. But also a shame in some ways as you cannot beat the power of being in a room full of other supportive women. It's a shame to lose that 'real life' element, the human connection.
I agree, I just read your recent post about women-only spaces and I couldn't agree more. I do see the long term damage that will be done with the demise of any women-only group that's brought about by the insanity of the trans people pushing into our spaces expecting acceptance when they clearly don't deserve it. It'll make creating new spaces just for us that much harder, unless women grow a pair and stop being pushed around by the trans community. I'm not being a hater, just a truth teller. The problem is today not many people like or accept the truth.
To induce breast fluid production, males must take prescription hormones for months. The male patient takes progesterone, sometimes rectally. They take domperidone, which can cause cardiac problems in the nursing baby. They also take spironolactone, which has been directly linked with causing a baby boy's genitals to develop abnormally.
Proposing to do this for a medical study would be unethical. I can't believe that any health professional would advocate for this.
It absolutely beggars belief and the insult is compounded by the lengths women go to when pregnant or breastfeeding, not eating f***king blue cheese or turning down champagne at bloody weddings! FFS! Makes me furious!!!
Domperidone is not available as a prescription drug in the US specifically because it can cause heart problems in a nursing child. Importation is banned. There's no lawful way for a male to follow the regimen in the United States. It is madness to enable ILLEGAL drug use that will HARM A BABY.
https://www.fda.gov/drugs/information-drug-class/fda-talk-paper-fda-warns-against-women-using-unapproved-drug-domperidone-increase-milk-production
I work with women for weeks as they struggle to establish breastfeeding and it is a total labour of love for them. The commitment and dedication should be rewarded with public admiration, instead we get this insulting drivel rammed down our necks. Women are no further forward than in the ‘50’s, it just looks that way. It makes me so furious!
it's like just as women began to reconcile the idea that breastfeeding and birth were indeed superpowers that they could do and still remain progressive feminists, in stepped the males to say they were women as well.
Once again ,I am incandescent with rage at this despicable war on women and children !!
Destroying the mother and baby bond will result in a destroyed society where mental illness and barbarity are the norm !! I am absolutely appalled that any woman would support this abhorrent female erasing ,child mutilating ,cult and I find their virtue signalling cowardice completely despicable.Tbh, I despair. Thanks ,Milli. Keep posting 👍🙏❤️
It's just so unsettling.
It is. I hope those in charge can reflect on it and see sense? It seems unbelievable that a breastfeeding supporter would behave in this way.
When gender identity is more important than reality: https://lucyleader.substack.com/p/la-leche-league-international-is
A very disturbing but highly informative way to start my morning… This change in language and hostile takeover by gender ideologues has me selfishly concerned for what kind of environment I will find myself in as we’re hoping to have a baby in the coming two years.
Yes. Nobody seems to be able to see that far down the track and think about the impact on these children.