Knowledge Bank

With increasing numbers of lesbian couples getting married, and the availability of alternative methods of conception, lesbian couples are coming in contact more often with healthcare professionals and the healthcare system through the birthing process. Previous research has shown that lesbian couples have had both positive and negative experiences throughout pregnancy. Given that there is conflicting information on the treatment of this population, it is important to see what types of experiences non-biological mothers of lesbian couples in Central Ohio are having. The purpose of this study is to explore how the non-biological mothers of lesbian couples feel like they are being treated by healthcare professionals and the healthcare system while going through the birthing process (preconception, pregnancy, and post partum), specifically in Central Ohio. Participants participated in face-to-face, semi-structured interviews and described their experiences throughout their partner’s pregnancy. These interviews were transcribed, and codes were identified to get a better picture of how the participants perceive that they have been treated. Two participants were interviewed for the study. The study found six codes: support, judgmental attitudes, connections, normalization, experience with lesbian mothers, and treating both mothers equally. These codes can be used to improve service to non-biological mothers of lesbian couples at all different levels of social work intervention. Social workers can use the findings of this study to improve their understanding of work with non-biological mothers of lesbian couples going through the birthing process together. More research needs to be done to get a better understanding of the experiences of non-biological mothers and then what programs can be implemented with healthcare professionals and healthcare systems to improve the overall experience for this population.