Researcher Background
Dr. Drew B. A. Clark is an Assistant Professor at the School of Nursing at UBC and lead of the Health Ethics & Equity Team. They are Caitlin Botkin’s supervisor. Their research focuses on health equity and healthcare ethics, with a focus on transgender, Two-Spirit, and nonbinary health.
Caitlin Botkin is a PhD student in the School of Nursing at UBC. She has worked clinically as a registered nurse and registered midwife and currently works as a nurse educator at Trans Care BC, developing resources for clinicians and transgender, Two-Spirit, and non-binary clients. Her master’s thesis focused on support of lactation induction in TNB people (paper under review). This research study builds on that work.
Purpose of this Research Project
This exploratory mixed-methods study seeks to identify lactation induction practices that best support transgender and non-binary (TNB) people. Participants will be TNB people who have interest in or experience with lactation induction. This includes those who intend to induce lactation in the future along with those who have sought and/or practiced lactation induction.
A survey with quantitative and qualitative questions will be distributed online using purposive and snowball sampling. Recruitment materials will be sent to organizations and practitioners supporting TNB people and may then be shared on social media and/or with potential participants who can contact researchers directly if they are interested. Participants will be asked about reasons for lactation induction, planning for lactation induction, barriers and facilitators they encountered, and support they received. The survey may be completed once by each participant.
The research objectives are:
- Detail the reasons that TNB people pursue lactation induction.
- Describe how TNB people define lactation induction success.
- Identify facilitators and barriers TNB people experience when seeking lactation induction support.
- Determine what resources TNB people access or would like to have had access to when inducing lactation.
Our survey uses qualitative and quantitative questions to ask transgender and non-binary (TNB) people who have sought and/or practiced lactation induction or are interested in lactation induction in the future about their experiences with lactation induction and the support they need throughout this process. Demographic data will be analyzed and presented using descriptive statistics. Quantitative data will be reported descriptively, and inferential statistics will be conducted if there is sufficient participant response. Qualitative data analysis will utilize directed content analysis. The results of the study will be integrated into openly-accessible online gender-inclusive lactation induction resources and through academic journals and presentations.
This study complements research previously conducted by members of the research team that outlined how clinicians support lactation induction in TNB people. This study will extend these findings to centre the voices of TNB people, exploring their experiences of lactation induction and identifying the type of supports needed during this process. The findings will inform the creation of gender inclusive lactation induction resources for TNB families and clinicians.
How this Research Will Help 2SLGBTQ+ People and Communities
Currently, there are very limited resources and research about lactation induction for TNB people. Lactation induction protocols are often gendered and focused on cisgender women. Research on TNB populations consists predominantly of case studies. This research will help to identify the needs and priorities of TNB people for lactation induction. We can then provide TNB people, healthcare providers, and policymakers with more information on how to best support accessible, inclusive, effective lactation induction. This will include publishing resources that TNB people can use when they are interested in pursuing lactation induction. Research findings will also raise awareness and provide direction to healthcare providers and policymakers on how to improve lactation induction supports for TNB people.
Eligibility & Participation
• Age 18 or older
• Self-identify as transgender or non-binary
• Can complete the survey in English
• Have had one or more of the following experiences: Intend to pursue lactation induction; experience attempting and/or inducing lactation; seeking support for lactation induction.
Compensation
None
Participant Support & Mitigation Measures
The consent form includes information about the content of the survey and the risk that questions may bring up negative past experiences. All questions are optional. Participants will be reminded that they can exit the survey at any time without consequence.
How to Participate / Recruitment
We are reaching out to organizations that work with TNB people and/or people pursuing pregnancy, perinatal care, and parenting support. We are asking groups to share recruitment materials through their networks (e.g., in print, through social media, over email).