UK health officials ordered nurses at two hospitals to replace the term “breast milk” with “breast milk” – as part of a first effort there to be more inclusive for trans and non-binary parents.
The terms “breastfeeding” and “breastmilk” should be swapped for more “gender-inclusive” expressions in antenatal departments of Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, the health center said in a 19-page document quoted by Sky News Wednesday.
Instead, health professionals were advised to use the expressions ‘breast / breast milk’, ‘milk from the nursing mother or parent’ and ‘breast milk’ to encompass more ‘trans and non-binary delivery’ without expressing women’s language. to close or motherhood ‘, the guidelines state.
The hospital system announced the new language advice on Monday.
“Today we are launching the UK’s first clinical and linguistic guidelines to support trans and non-binary deliveries,” the hospital system tweeted. “We are proud to take care of trans and non-binary people.”
Nurses were also urged to avoid the terms ‘mothers’ and ‘women’ alone – unless requested in specific cases. Instead, they were asked to use gender-neutral terms such as “parents” and “people” according to the hospital system.
“As midwives and maternity workers, we focus on improving access and health outcomes for marginalized and disadvantaged groups,” the hospital system said in a statement. “We consciously use the words ‘women’ and ‘people’ together to convey our commitment to address health inequalities for everyone who uses our services.”
But the changes “do not apply when discussing or caring for individuals in a one-on-one capacity, where language and documentation must reflect the gender identity of the individual,” the hospital system said.
On the website, the hospital system added, “We recognize the additional challenges that gender identity can have in pregnancy, childbirth and infant formula, and recognize the importance of inclusive, respectful care for pregnant people and their families.”