I watched a YouTube video about a transgender man that got pregnant and had a baby with his wife that was called, “Man Gives Birth To His Child, My Pregnant Husband.” If I were to be assigned this birthing couple, or this birthing person my reaction would be excitement to meet the couple or person and really get to know who they are and their story while aiding them in the birthing process. Since labor can be such a long process, that was the case with Ari being in labor for 30 hours, you can really get to know the patient and I just know that would be such a special experience with this couple. To learn about their experience navigating gender fluidity and blurring the lines of the stereotypical heterosexual pregnant couple’s experience would be an honor. Anytime I can learn about other people’s experiences I take that as a gift because it helps me be more empathetic, more sensitive to what other people are going through, and aids me in acting more kind to all.

Some ways of promoting inclusivity in a healthcare setting would be by asking patients what their preferred pronouns are when you are meeting them and then also let them know what your preferred pronouns are during introductions. Nurses should always add a note into the patient’s chart and pass it along in report if a patient requests to be addressed by a certain name or certain pronouns to make sure the whole team is aware. There could also be a note left on the patient’s whiteboard in the room with something such as, “Please use he/him pronouns,” or something similar, if they were comfortable with it. As nurses it is important to create a safe space for patients to explain their emotions and advocate for themselves and this will help patients be more comfortable during their vulnerable time while they are at the hospital. We need to utilize therapeutic communication and be the best listeners we can possibly be!

If someone were to incorrectly use female-specific language while giving their nursing report to the next nurse coming on shift, it could severely negatively impact the delivery of care because the nurse could immediately misgender the patient when they meet them. If the nurse giving the report uses the wrong gender the other nurse will likely write that down and go with that information. This could negatively impact the client nurse relationship if the patient is offended and it is very likely to leave the patient feeling hurt and misgendered. The patient will then begin to distrust the healthcare workers around them if they are constantly having to remind people of their correct gender when it should be vital information that is passed onto all members of that patient’s care team. If this keeps happening to this patient in many healthcare settings they may start to distrust healthcare as a whole the more it happens which could be very detrimental to their health in the future.