Dear Cisgender Mother, We see you. All of us trans and nonbinary parents see what you're doing and the battles you face every day as a parent. You're a goddess. We see the strength you have while birthing. We acknowledge the goddess within you, the powerful person you've become. Nourishing life within your womb, you've become a force of nature worth celebrating. We see the rights you're fighting for in the birthing community. We see the struggles all women have getting quality care for themselves and their babies. Thank you for fighting for better care, you're a goddess! We see you breastfeeding your little ones. You're amazing for breastfeeding for any amount of time and we sit back in awe watching you nourish your baby with every fiber of your being. You're a goddess. We see you and celebrate your postpartum journey. From fourth trimester struggles with baby to stretch marks. We see it all and wrap you in our love. You're a goddess! You're not being erased. You're being celebrated. You're being acknowledged and loved as the goddess you are. This is why we need to have a discussion about inclusivity. If myself and other trans folx are celebrating your journey why can't you celebrate ours? Are we not gods and goddexes for facing the same struggles? Are we not worthy of celebration? Why when we refuse to erase you and your struggles are you so insistent on erasing ours? We go through our own journey of change. Bursting fourth as new parents after birth. Feeling empowered by our journey just as you. We see the magic of growing life within our bodies and feel empowered and excited. Then we are faced with the stark reality that cisgender mothers think we are somehow disgusting or erasing their journey. Yet we are still gods and goddexes. We fight for our right to have our pronouns used in the hospital, birthing center, or even at home. We fight to have natural birth instead of being forced into a csection because our provider does not think we are natural and do not want to deal with us. We fight for better care for us and our babies too. We don't want vacuums, forceps, husband stitches or the like either. Yet when fighting for these rights and bringing awareness to our troubles we get little support from cisgender mothers. Why? Why when we cheer on better care for you? Yet we are still gods and goddexes.
We trans and nonbinary people also pour out nourishment for our babies with every fiber of our being. The only difference is that in order to do so without dysphoria, depression, or anxiety we choose to call it chestfeeding. We are told by many cisgender mothers that we are hating women for using this term. We are told we want attention. We are told we are taking away something special from you. I assure you we are not. We celebrate your breastfeeding journey. We want you to please celebrate our chestfeeding journey. After all any nourishment a baby can get from the human body is amazing. We are gods and goddexes for chestfeeding our babies.
We have post partum journeys too. We have fourth trimester experiences, stretch marks and so much more. Our post partum journey may be a little different from yours, but it is still a journey all the same. It is still special. We are gods and goddexes.
So as we work hard to make sure you're not erased please do us a favor and work hard to make sure we are not erased.
This journey of bringing life to fruition and nurturing it is so special for all of us.
As goddesses, gods, and goddexes please let's take this journey together, not separate.