Women and trans people alike often share a struggle to breastfeed their newborns, according to a motherhood advocacy organization, which has recently chosen to invite any mom, including those who did not give birth, into their support groups.
The move has ignited controversy, with one British critic saying the global group, La Leche League, has “lost its focus on the mother and baby.”
Founded by a group of American moms in 1956, LLL has extended its branches across 89 countries, according to their website, with hundreds of active meeting groups across the US alone, each of which is lead by a local “leader.”
Recently, the league’s UK branch, LLLGB, made a statement in regards to trans women and men, writing that the group aims to be more “inclusive.” The league extended support to transgender men, who were born with female anatomy but currently identify as male, as well as non-binary parents.
“Trans men, trans women and non-binary individuals may choose to breastfeed or chestfeed their babies,” they write. “You do not need to have given birth to breastfeed or chestfeed, as we can also see in the experiences of those nursing adopted babies.”
LLLGB uses the term “chestfeed” to acknowledge those who have undergone transition and prefer not to use the word “breast.” They also advise those determined to chestfeed on how to “stimulate their milk supply” via hormones.
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