Birthing Beyond the Binary: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of Perinatal Mental Health Experiences among Genderqueer and Nonbinary Birthing People

Background: There is a paucity of literature exploring genderqueer and nonbinary birthing people’s perinatal mental health experiences in the UK. It is important to have a nuanced understanding of genderqueer and nonbinary birthing people’s experiences of psychological distress and wellbeing in the perinatal period due to the gendered assumptions surrounding pregnancy, birth, and parenthood.

Aims: To explore genderqueer and nonbinary birthing people’s experiences of psychological distress and psychological wellbeing in the perinatal period. To understand genderqueer and nonbinary birthing people’s experiences of support in the perinatal period, and how this relates to their experiences of psychological distress and wellbeing.

Method: Semi-structured interviews were used to explore the accounts of seven genderqueer nonbinary birthing people’s experiences in the perinatal period. Experiences were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological
Analysis.

Results: Analysis resulted in four overarching Group Experiential Themes: navigating shame and the emotional tides of distress; rebuilding identity under the heavy burden of the cishet gaze; feeling understood, connected to others; and creating safety in an unsafe world.

Conclusion: Genderqueer and nonbinary birthing people discussed their experiences of psychological distress and wellbeing in the perinatal period in relation to a loss and subsequent rebuilding of identity, bodily and social dysphoria, and their felt sense of connection with others. Participants also highlighted the impact of erasure and anti-trans prejudice within services on their mental health. The findings encourage the dismantling of traditional gendered notions of pregnancy, birth, and parenthood. Perinatal services must change to ensure the support they provide is inclusive, safer, and more supportive for genderqueer and nonbinary birthing people.