Transgender Woman Becomes First To Be Able To Breastfeed Her Baby

A trans women just became the first to breastfeed their baby by adhering to a strict regimen of taking hormones, a nausea drug and stimulating her breasts with a pump. The 30-year-old anonymous women is the first documented trans person to breastfeed.

When her partner was 5 1/2 months pregnant, the women’s doctor started the treatment. A nausea drug called Domperidone was recommended because anecdotal evidence suggests it boosts milk production (even through the FDA says it shouldn’t be used for this purpose). The women had already undergone years of hormone therapy, which allowed her to develop breasts without having breast augmentation surgery.

The treatment regimen was successful for the first six weeks of the baby’s life — the infant’s main source of nutrition was the trans parent. After six weeks, the breast milk was supplemented with baby formula. This treatment could help trans parents everywhere, but currently it’s unclear whether the hormones of the medicine actually helped induce lactation. Researchers think breast stimulation might be enough, however, the chemical composition of the woman’s milk has not been assessed, though a pediatrician confirmed “the baby was growing and developing normally and healthily.” The treatment shows just how powerful hormone manipulation can be.