I’m sorry to hear that. We’re certainly not counting on it as a sure thing, but my doctors tell me that my intitial body chemistry and subsequent breast development make me a good candidate.
In any case, just being able to have a baby in the first place, and especially one that will be both our genetic offspring, will be more than enough to make me happy, even if I never got to breastfeed. But it will be so wonderful if it does happen.
KellyM answered this pretty well already, so I’ll just add to it a bit. The increased risk of breast cancer is offset by the decreased risk of prostate cancer, so that’s a trade off. As a result of the risk of clotting and increased liver function, my doctor has me on 81mg aspirin therapy (to reduce the risk of clots) and advised against the frequent use of acetaminophin (Tylenol), which can add stress to the liver. This was not an issue as I didn’t use it much in the first place.
Once my body has reached it’s final state of feminization, the horomones can be decreased to a much lower level than what I’m taking now, which will reduce the health risks.
Lesbian couple is the best, closest description for someone doesn’t need to know all of the details, and that’s how we’re generally viewed by those in the outside world who don’t know all the details anyway. But between us we just think of ourselves as a married couple, with no need for an additional restrictive label.
That said, the first time she referred to me as her wife, it gave me goosebumps.
From what I’ve read, even if you do produce milk, it’s not very nutritious for the baby.
This reminds me, do you have Curves clubs near where you live? And are they the dens of feminine iniquity that males believe them to be?
Do you have any links, Fiver? Everything I’ve read says that adoptive moms who produce milk produce regular, good ol’ breastmilk. Since Kaitlyn now has all the neccesary equipment, what would make her milk different? (I’ve never read anything on transgendered moms, and now I’m curious.)
'Sides, even if the nutrition weren’t as good, I’d still encourage it for bonding, skin-to-skin contact, etc. If baby’s still hungry, there’s always Mrs. Six.
No links; I learned it from an ink-and-paper source, which is at home.
I’ll get back to you on it.
Thanks. I’d appreciate it. (I’m not calling you out on a “cite!” or anything, I’m just curious.) 
This will be my last daily update unless something really unusual happens.
Today was another ordinary school day. I still kill the conversation when I come into the room, and I’m pretty sure I was right about some of the other teachers avoiding me, but that part isn’t really any different than when I was the guy who gave off the weird vibe. Well, in this case, I suppose it is different, as now it seems to be a couple of the other female teachers that I’m making uneasy instead of the guys.
The only interesting story from the past couple of days:
I’m on playground duty, and a little boy from one of the other classes, a first grader I think, comes up to me and tugs at my skirt.
Boy: Miss Kaitlyn, Miss Kaitlyn*, I have a woody.
Me: Uh, that’s nice.
Boy: I brought it for show and tell today. You wanna see it?
Me: No, I don’t think you need . . .
Boy: And a Buzz Lightyear, too. I got them for Christmas.
I actually bought a Woody happy meal toy at a flea market just so I could ask my friends
“Do you want to play with my Woody? C’mon! Put your hand in my pocket and touch my Woody.”
When friends visit, I enjoy telling them that I’m going to reveal to them my only vice. I reach into the closet and pull out a large steel clamp. “My only vice! Someday, I hope to get another. Then, I can glue two things at once!”
The Front Page Of Harley’s Haven.
That pose makes her hips and butt look somewhat bigger than usual, but the boobs are the right size.
:smack:
That was supposed to go in the Wonder Woman Movie Rumor thread in response to another Doper asking if there were any small breasted super heroines.
Please ignore the above post. I apologize for the inconvenience.
You’re very sick and should see a physician, your clergyman or Rabbi.
I apologize for replying to a post that was posted in the wrong thread.
Men and women both posess the same physical structures in the breasts that are used for breastfeeding–the mammary glands and milk ducts are there in men-- they just don’t develop fully unless the body has the right hormones to tell them to do so. Under the right circumstances, lactation can be induced in normal men.
The difference is that the estrogens in an adoptive mother are usually produced by her body naturally, while mine are ingested orally, and a natal woman’s body produces natural progesterones, while most transsexuals do not take these.
A more accurate parallel would be an adoptive mother on HRT treatment following a hysterectomy who decides to breastfeed. Her hormones would also likely be provided by oral ingestion. She would still have the advantage of having had her breasts develop in her first puberty, which means the milk producing tissues would have fully developed. Even so, adoptive mothers tend to be unable to produce all of the milk that their babies need.
The chief concern for transsexual mothers or adoptive mothers on HRT who want to nurse is the possibility of hormones getting into the breast milk. The research I’ve read is inconclusive; there’s no evidence that I know of that a significant enough amount of hormones could get into my breast milk to harm our baby. Some adoptive mothers on HRT are advised to greatly reduce or even forgo thier HRT while they are nursing. The science has yet to come to a definite conclusion one way or the other.
So much for the science. In my case, even if we are able to induce lactation, it’s very highly unlikely that I’d be able to produce enough milk to provide all of the child’s nutrition. Mrs. Six will be the one whose job it is to do that–her body will initially be tuned to the baby’s exact nutritional needs anyway.
The purpose of my nursing would be to help me bond with the baby and it with me, to share with it the emotioanal intimacy that breastfeeding provides. I’m going to be the primary caregiver for our child/children when we have them–my job is much more friendly to taking time off to be a full time mommy, and Mrs. Six has no desire whatsoever to be a homemaker–and being able to breastfeed, if only for the purpose of feeling closer to my baby would be a good help at starting out in that role.
Given that we have talkied about kung fu movies, comic books, and southeast Asian politics in this thread, and that the subject for the last half page or so has been breasts, a post concerning the size of a comic book character’s breasts is actually pretty much on topic.
All it needs is the right perspective to bring it into line:
The size of Harley Quinn’s breasts would have no effect on her ability to breastfeed a child; initial breast size has no effect on the mother’s ability to produce enough milk for her new infant.
Carry on.
From page 96 of the book Feminizing Hormonal Therapy For The Transgendered by Sheila Kirk, MD (who is herself transgendered):
But you know, as Kaitlyn said, it’s about bonding, not feeding.
Fiver, I’ve seen contradictory statements from other persons with credentials equal to (if not better than) Dr. Kirk’s. At this point, I remain unconvinced.
From the information I quoted, what are you unconvinced of, KellyM?
I won’t answer for KellyM, but the reason I’m unconvinced (and that doesn’t mean you’re wrong, it just means I want to find some more info) is that the author makes a sweeping claim without explaining it.
From what I’ve read, male and female breasts are exactly the same, with the exception that female breasts are exposed to more female hormones, which triggers the further development of milk ducts and fatty deposits. We all have the same number of nerves, and we’re all born with milk ducts, they just remain small in males in the absense of a large quantitiy of female hormones, or perhaps in the presence of testosterone. Change the hormones and viola! Breastseses. Big milk ducts and fatty deposits.
I would suspect this to be especially true of someone in Kaitlyn’s position, having had what appears to be minimal masculinization at puberty from low male hormone levels. But maybe not. Thanks for the resources to get me started on my quest for knowledge.
Kaitlyn, good point about the hormones in the breast milk. Prob’ly not worth the risk, especially in a baby who may inherit your hormonal wonkiness at puberty anyway. (And by “wonkiness,” I don’t mean transgenderism, I mean minimal masculinization due to low testosterone levels.)
If this has been covered, forgive me.
What about your insurance. Does it cover same sex marriage coverage? Would it have the right to cancel your insurance if you were a rider on your wife’s after the sex change? Does it cover your surgeries and hormone shots or is that out of pocket? Do you have to re-do your wills to make sure your spouse does indeed get everything? Did you have to go to the DMV to have your liscense re-done and have the sex changed there, too?
My mind is boggling.