On this page you’ll find out more about our project, including the aims of the project, who’s involved and the different stages of the study.
Who is on the research team?
We are a team of trans, non-binary, takatāpui and cisgender researchers who work in the area of trans health, perinatal care and community advocacy. Our names are Dr George Parker, Dr Suzanne Miller, Prof Sally Baddock, Dr Jaimie Veale, Dr Elizabeth Kerekere, Alex Ker and Scout Barbour-Evans. Together we are committed to improving pregnancy and birth care for our gender diverse and intersex whānau.
You can find out a bit more about us here.
What are the aims of this project?
The project aims to understand what affirming, safe and culturally responsive pregnancy and birth services look like for trans, non-binary, intersex and takatāpui people and whānau in Aotearoa New Zealand. There is growing awareness of and research into the importance of gender-inclusive pregnancy care overseas. However, we currently know very little about people’s experiences in Aotearoa.
There are two phases of this study. In Phase One (October 2021 to mid-2022), we will talk to trans, non-binary, takatāpui and intersex people about their personal experiences of seeking and receiving pregnancy and birth care in Aotearoa. We aim to hold individual, semi-structured interviews with 15-20 people and whānau.
We will then use the findings from Phase One to develop Phase Two, an online national workforce survey for healthcare professionals working in pregnancy and birth care.
This research has been approved by the Victoria University of Wellington Human Ethics Committee (reference number #0000029879).
Who can participate?
For the interviews, we would love to talk to anyone who is:
- trans, non-binary, intersex or takatāpui and gender diverse/intersex
- currently (or has been) pregnant, has experienced pregnancy loss, miscarriage, or stillbirth, or has given birth within the last 3 years
- 18 years or older, and
- living in Aotearoa New Zealand.
The national workforce survey will be open in mid-2022 to healthcare professionals in Aotearoa who work in perinatal/pregnancy and birth care.
What’s in it for interview participants?
Your participation in an interview would help us to understand trans, non-binary, intersex and takatāpui people’s first-hand experiences of and needs when accessing pregnancy and birth services in an Aotearoa-specific context.
We hope that through you sharing your experiences with us, together we can increase awareness of gender-inclusive care within pregnancy and birth services and improve the quality of such care.
What will the interview cover?
The interview will cover topics such as your decision-making around your care, any concerns or expectations you have/had from your care providers, gender inclusivity and cultural safety in the care you receive(d), the role of social support and community, and experiences of childbirth education and childbirth.
You can choose if you’d like the interview, which will be around one hour long, to be held by George Parker, a non-binary Pākehā person and experienced interview-based researcher. Alternatively, you can choose for your interview to be held with a takatāpui researcher, or in te reo Māori with an interviewer fluent in te reo Māori (we cannot guarantee that this interviewer will also be takatāpui, gender diverse or intersex).
How will you ensure my safety as a participant?
We aim to make the interview experience a safe and affirming experience for you. You can choose for the interview to be held in-person or online via a secure web-based video platform. There will be opportunities for karakia and whakawhanaungatanga during the interview, and whānau and support people are welcome to attend. To protect your identity and mana motuhake, all personal details such as names and locations will be removed from your interview transcript. You’ll also be able to give any feedback on your transcript and let us know if there are things you want to add to, change or take out.
What will the online survey for healthcare providers cover?
The online survey, which is separate from the interviews, will identify the existing knowledge and knowledge gaps on trans, non-binary, takatāpui and intersex inclusion among perinatal care providers. It will ask questions around providers’ current knowledge, experience and attitudes towards caring for trans and intersex pregnant people, as well as what they would find most helpful in terms of education and professional development in this area.
How will you use the findings from this study?
We will use the findings of both phases of this study to develop greater awareness of the needs of trans, non-binary, takatāpui and intersex pregnant people in Aotearoa. We will do this through writing up community reports, peer-reviewed journal articles and presenting findings at conferences and hui. The findings will also be used to inform education for pregnancy and birth care providers, to support them to provide trans and intersex inclusive care.
For more information, please contact Alex at alex.ker@op.ac.nz
The Trans Pregnancy Care Project 