UK hospital replaces term ‘breast milk’ with ‘human milk’ to be more inclusive

A hospital in the United Kingdom announced on Wednesday that it will begin using language that is more inclusive of transgender and nonbinary people in its facilities. 

“Our approach has been carefully considered to be inclusive of trans & non-binary birthing people without excluding the language of women or motherhood,” Brighton and Sussex Maternity said on Twitter. 

Our approach has been carefully considered to be inclusive of trans & non-binary birthing people without excluding the language of women or motherhood. For further info about our additive approach to inclusive language, please see our language guide https://t.co/94EnCE3UOi

— Brighton and Sussex Maternity (@BSUH_maternity) February 9, 2021

The tweet included a 19-page document that has a table of gender-inclusive language that staff can use. 

In the table, “breast milk” changes to “human milk,” “breastfeeding” changes to “chestfeeding” and “maternal” changes to “perinatal.”

Other words, including mother, woman and maternal consent, have been changed to be more inclusive of transgender and nonbinary people. 

In a statement, Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals said they are focused on being more inclusive with midwives who are providing care for transgender people giving birth. 

“I am looking forward to a time when this standard of inclusive care is in fact business as usual for the whole of the NHS [National Health Service]. That being said, improvement has to start somewhere, and I am particularly proud of all the hard work our service has put into this award-winning work,” said Amanda Clifton, head of midwifery.