Results.Everyone's pregnancy and birth experience is different.
Through thematic analysis we describe some of the common elements of this experience, in particular the experiences of polyamorous families. |
The InterviewsA total of 12 interviews were conducted with 24 POLYBABES participants. Interview length ranged from 23-99 minutes with an average of 49 minutes. Three interviews took place in person and the other nine occurred using an online web conference software.
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The ParticipantsThe age of the participants ranged from 23-48 years with an average of 24 years. Most participants were from Ontario, Quebec or British Columbia.
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Healthcare Provider |
Thematic Analysis
Based on the interviews 4 common themes arose.
01Deliberately Planning FamiliesParticipants expressed a strong sense of deliberateness in decision-making around family planning. We found that substantive amounts of communication went into choices such as when to have children, who would be the biological parent(s), who would be involved in parenting and what roles would each person serve within or outside of the family unit. This decision making process was complicated by the presence of multiple relationships.
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02More is MoreParticipants expressed that more often than not, more partners meant more support. Multiple partners often garnered more financial and logistical security. In the context of pregnancy and birth it was expressed that birthing individuals felt an abundance of support in the prenatal, intrapartum and postpartum periods.
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03Presenting PolyDisclosure of one's polyamorous status was a central talking point in all participant interviews. Participants reported their experiences disclosing to friends, family, colleagues and healthcare providers. Decisions to be "out" as polyamorous were very personally motivated. Some participants preferred to keep their polyamorous status unknown to the public and present as socially as monogomous. Other participants expressed wanting to be socially known as polyamorous and wanting to engage in conversations about polyamory in hopes to further social acceptability of non-monnogamy.
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04Living in a Mononormative WorldParticipants expressed difficulty navigating social systems as they often privilege monogamy. This was true of navigating the healthcare system during pregnancy, birth and postpartum. Similarly participants expressed difficulty facing other barriers as multi-parent families. For example; interactions with the school system, travel, and medico-legal decision making.
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A Message for Healthcare ProvidersOur participants shared recommendations for health-care providers (please see publications - CMAJ). The common undertone of this messaging we think is best described by our participants.
“It’s a lot of clues. It’s about [being] patient-led and it’s about not starting with assumptions, I guess. You start open and then you get narrower considering how the patient responds. " |