U of T offers new 'chestfeeding' pod

Photo by Nick Iwanyshyn

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According to a release from the university, which neglects to use the word “mother”:

Everyone has the right to breastfeed or chestfeed anywhere at the University of Toronto – and there are numerous locations across the three campuses that offer quiet, comfortable spaces for feeding and pumping.

...“We have designated several areas around campus for breast and chestfeeding, such as the lounge in the Annex, but they are not always really that private,” says Nythalah Baker, director, equity, diversity and inclusion at U of T Mississauga.

The wheelchair-accessible pods are manufactured by Mamava, which touts that they were “created specifically for breastfeeding people by moms on a mission.”

Students are able to freely access the pods via a mobile app.

The U.S. Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine recently put together a new “inclusive” language guide for hospitals to be inclusive of transgender men and non-binary individuals who do not identify as women.

The guide suggests replacing the word “mother” with “gestational parent” and “nursing mother” with “lactating person.” It also suggests replacing “breastfeeding” with “chestfeeding.”