Trevor MacDonald's Blog, page 3
December 27, 2014
Nursing Two Babies
I haven’t blogged in a long time because… I had my second baby! Things have been busy around here. Right now I’m nursing the two-month-old and typing with one hand. My three-and-a-half-year-old is asleep. I’m exhausted and should probably get to bed as soon as the baby is ‘milk drunk’ – you know, when they come off and look at you so satisfied and relaxed and then pass out immediately - but I want to share something with you about parenting my two children through nursing.
Yes, I still nurse my ‘older’ child. Just this morning I was thinking about how big he is getting, how mature. I mentioned to my partner that nursing him seems and feels a bit weird these days. His mouth is huge compared to the newborn’s and his latch has changed a lot in recent months. He, too, has noticed a difference and will often say that the tube isn’t in the right place or it’s ‘not working.’
Tube? Yes, tube. I have nursed my son for three-and-a-half years using an at-chest supplementer because I never had a full milk supply. For the last 18 months we’ve used water in the supplementer instead of milk. Jacob likes the flow of it. He loves to nurse, but not if there’s nothing coming out. It has worked for me and it has worked for him, so this is what we we’ve been doing.
This time around I have more milk, although still not as much as the baby needs. I nurse the baby first (with a different supplementer and donated human milk), and then nurse Jacob if he wants it. Initially after our baby girl was born, Jacob wanted to nurse all the time. Sometimes that was tough, and often it was sad because I had to just say no – baby needed it first, and he wasn’t used to that.
I won’t go into the gory details, but will say that tonight, after Jacob caught a horrible stomach bug that left him empty and us with a lot of laundry to do, I suddenly became ever so grateful that he still nurses. He refused to drink water out of a glass and the same went for juice, which is normally a much-anticipated treat in our home. He was scared and upset at having been so sick, over and over again. He wasn’t grown up or mature-looking at all. Sure, he is an ‘older’ nursling compared to an infant, but he is not ‘old’. He is a three-and-a-half-year-old LITTLE boy who can't yet tie a pair of laces or even manage to open our sticky front door. Why would he be too old to nurse? Through nursing this evening, he took in a good amount of water plus some much-needed antibodies from the bit of milk he got from me. I’m relieved that we don’t have to worry about dehydration at this point.
So tonight I uttered some strange, strange words as I was putting Jacob to sleep (nursing, of course!): “If you want to nurse in the night, just wake me up, ok?! Even if the baby is fast asleep!”
Yes, I still nurse my ‘older’ child. Just this morning I was thinking about how big he is getting, how mature. I mentioned to my partner that nursing him seems and feels a bit weird these days. His mouth is huge compared to the newborn’s and his latch has changed a lot in recent months. He, too, has noticed a difference and will often say that the tube isn’t in the right place or it’s ‘not working.’
Tube? Yes, tube. I have nursed my son for three-and-a-half years using an at-chest supplementer because I never had a full milk supply. For the last 18 months we’ve used water in the supplementer instead of milk. Jacob likes the flow of it. He loves to nurse, but not if there’s nothing coming out. It has worked for me and it has worked for him, so this is what we we’ve been doing.
This time around I have more milk, although still not as much as the baby needs. I nurse the baby first (with a different supplementer and donated human milk), and then nurse Jacob if he wants it. Initially after our baby girl was born, Jacob wanted to nurse all the time. Sometimes that was tough, and often it was sad because I had to just say no – baby needed it first, and he wasn’t used to that.
I won’t go into the gory details, but will say that tonight, after Jacob caught a horrible stomach bug that left him empty and us with a lot of laundry to do, I suddenly became ever so grateful that he still nurses. He refused to drink water out of a glass and the same went for juice, which is normally a much-anticipated treat in our home. He was scared and upset at having been so sick, over and over again. He wasn’t grown up or mature-looking at all. Sure, he is an ‘older’ nursling compared to an infant, but he is not ‘old’. He is a three-and-a-half-year-old LITTLE boy who can't yet tie a pair of laces or even manage to open our sticky front door. Why would he be too old to nurse? Through nursing this evening, he took in a good amount of water plus some much-needed antibodies from the bit of milk he got from me. I’m relieved that we don’t have to worry about dehydration at this point.
So tonight I uttered some strange, strange words as I was putting Jacob to sleep (nursing, of course!): “If you want to nurse in the night, just wake me up, ok?! Even if the baby is fast asleep!”
August 5, 2014
Not Your Average Birth Conference
Speaking at YoniFest to a tent full of midwives and doulas!This past weekend my family and I attended YoniFest, a wildly successful birth conferencein beautiful rural Quebec. This was the first ever YoniFest, but I’m sure it will not be the last. Every aspect of the festival came off without a hitch. I was invited there to speak about trans* pregnancy, birth, and infant feeding. The conference organizers were clear from the beginning that they wanted the gathering to be welcoming and inclusive, and it truly was.
The day before the opening ceremony, the person who was in charge of interpreting the proceedings into English approached me to talk about the best language to use –‘ parents’ as well as ‘moms,’ and ‘people’ in addition to ‘women’. At the ceremony, my partner turned to me wide-eyed when he heard her say ‘parents’. We’d never been included like that in a birthy setting before. There were beautiful and empowering statements about the strength and oneness of women, as well as plenty of space for our family and others to be celebrated, too.
On Friday I presented a 15 minute personal talk on a panel alongside Ina May Gaskin, The following day I gave a two hour workshop on how health care providers and birth workers can assist trans* clients. Again, the response was awesome! Participants asked important questions and we had a great discussion. Michel Odent made me super nervous by sitting in for part of the session! Thankfully, a dear friend provided a familiar smiling face near the front of the room.
A few conference participants mentioned to me that they have friends or friends of friends that are trans* men who have given birth. I noted that one woman used the wrong pronouns when she initially mentioned her trans* acquaintance to me (I inwardly cringed but didn’t manage to say anything in the moment), but she used the correct ones *after* she attended my workshop. She always knew what the right language should be, and said as much to me, but somehow “got it” in a deeper way.
CBCRadio-Canada came to do a piece on YoniFest and asked to interview me, which was fine, but also hilarious... The very first question for me: “Do you know what you’re having?” (Meaning, does baby have a penis or a vagina?) I explained to the interviewer that I had opened my talk the previous day by discussing this exact question. She smiled and seemed to think that was nice.
Workshop highlights for me included learning from Kathleen Fahy of Australia about postpartum hemorrhage (active vs. physiological management of the 3rdand 4th stages of labour) and Whapio Diane Bartlett on the holistic stages of labour.
Possibly the most impressive sight of the whole weekend was all the partners racing around watching kids so that others could attend workshops. As we attendees sat in open tents, we saw families zooming by, dads running back to the car to get a new pair of pants, down to the river to cool off, back to the hill to play soccer, scooping up the toddler who fell on the play ramp, wearing baby on the back while carrying toddler on the shoulders and holding hands with the pre-schooler... Others volunteered at the daycare, and stayed there the whole weekend instead of trading off so that the littles would have the best possible continuity of care.
I can't wait for the next YoniFest!
Closing circle of Yonifest, and a shot of the kids' play structure.
July 24, 2014
Yonifest 2014!
I'm thrilled that Yonifest is nearly here! For those who don't know, it is a radical birth conference, taking place in a small town in the stunning Quebec countryside. I will be speaking, along with the likes of Ina May Gaskin and
I'm particularly excited to attend because I'm 27 weeks pregnant myself – perfect timing for me to be surrounded by birthy energy, take in new information and inspiration, share what I can, and then return home to focus on my own powerful journey. I haven't attended Yonifest before, but it seems to have a special community vibe. People camp in tents at the festival site, bringing their families along as they wish.
The middle of a pregnancy is a significant time to lead a workshop for midwives, doulas and other birth workers. Much of what I share will stem from my personal experience as a trans guy about to have his second child. Like, how I had trouble getting into obstetrical triage at the hospital a few weeks ago when my midwife wanted me to have a particular issue looked at. Or the time when it took 20 minutes to convince the clerk at a medical supply store that I did, indeed, need compression stockings for pregnancy.
In my workshop I'll be teaching participants how to communicate effectively with trans* clients and how to be a good ally. We'll talk about gender dysphoria and pregnancy, lactation after top surgery, and inducing lactation in trans* women, among other topics.
Workshop date and time: SATURDAY, AUGUST 2nd, 3:30pm.
Looking forward to seeing some familiar faces and meeting new ones!
I'm particularly excited to attend because I'm 27 weeks pregnant myself – perfect timing for me to be surrounded by birthy energy, take in new information and inspiration, share what I can, and then return home to focus on my own powerful journey. I haven't attended Yonifest before, but it seems to have a special community vibe. People camp in tents at the festival site, bringing their families along as they wish.
The middle of a pregnancy is a significant time to lead a workshop for midwives, doulas and other birth workers. Much of what I share will stem from my personal experience as a trans guy about to have his second child. Like, how I had trouble getting into obstetrical triage at the hospital a few weeks ago when my midwife wanted me to have a particular issue looked at. Or the time when it took 20 minutes to convince the clerk at a medical supply store that I did, indeed, need compression stockings for pregnancy.
In my workshop I'll be teaching participants how to communicate effectively with trans* clients and how to be a good ally. We'll talk about gender dysphoria and pregnancy, lactation after top surgery, and inducing lactation in trans* women, among other topics.
Workshop date and time: SATURDAY, AUGUST 2nd, 3:30pm.
Looking forward to seeing some familiar faces and meeting new ones!
June 22, 2014
Call for Participants
How Can Lactation Consultants, Midwives, Nurses, & Physicians Support Transmasculine Individuals with Birthing Care?
Do you self-identify as transmasculine?Have you been pregnant, given birth, breastfed or chestfed your baby?
We are Researching Transmasculine Individuals' Experiences with Pregnancy, Birthing, and Feeding their Newborns
If you are interested in more information or if you would like to participate:
Please contact Joy.Noel-Weiss@uottawa.ca or Trevor MacDonald - tmacdon3@uottawa.ca Please note: This study is in English only
This study has been funded through the CIHR Institute of Gender and Health M I am the research coordinator for this study titled, "Transmasculine Individuals' Experiences with Pregnancy, Birthing, and Feeding Their Newborns: A Qualitative Study". The researchers are Joy Noel-Weiss and Michelle Walks. The study has ethics approval from the University of Ottawa Ethics Review Board. I have been involved in designing the research study, and I am conducting participant interviews. I will work with Joy and Michelle to analyze the data and write the final papers that we will publish. Our research team also includes lactation consultants, MaryLynne Biener and Diana West, and midwife, Alanna Kibbe, each of whom have experience working with trans* clients.
We are trying to understand what works and what does not work - especially how nurses, physicians, midwives, and lactation consultants can better help transmasculine individuals. Your participation would involve 2-3 interviews – one or two to tell your story and then a final interview later to confirm the findings. The study will be only conducted in English. Participants will remain anonymous in all published material. If you are interested in more information or would like to join the study, please email me at tmacdon3@uottawa.ca, reply in this thread, or send me a private message.
Anyone who self-identifies as transmasculine and has experienced or is currently experiencing pregnancy and birth is eligible to be involved in this study. There is no requirement regarding transitioning or method of infant feeding. Transmasculine individuals who planned their transitions after pregnancy and birth, as well as those individuals who transitioned before pregnancy and birth, are eligible to participate.
Please feel free to share this post with anyone who you believe may be interested.
Sincerely,
Trevor
This study has been funded through the CIHR Institute of Gender and Health
April 22, 2014
La Leche League Will Allow Male Leaders!
La Leche League International has published a clear, proud press release stating that men who meet the necessary qualifications may apply to be Leaders. Men are now eligible to apply.
From the press release: As an organization dedicated to helping babies breastfeed, the expanded eligibility criteria demonstrates La Leche League International’s commitment to assisting even more parents breastfeed their babies.
YES!!! Thank you La Leche League!
Read the whole press release here.
From the press release: As an organization dedicated to helping babies breastfeed, the expanded eligibility criteria demonstrates La Leche League International’s commitment to assisting even more parents breastfeed their babies.
YES!!! Thank you La Leche League!
Read the whole press release here.
