When I was just 17, and in my first year of college, I found out I was pregnant and I had to navigate my way through adoption and healing after relinquishment. Adoption is a difficult choice. There is no one path that each birth parent follows, and there is no one road to healing that works either. Each birth parent's experience is unique. Adoption and being a birth parent has historically carried a stigma of shame for "giving up' a child. In just the last 40 years, an adoption renaissance has brought new understandings about the process, the opportunities for open relationships with birth parents and their children, and the need for long-term support for birth parents and adoptive parents. The birth parent experience can be one of love, respect, and compassion with the child and adoptive parents. I share my story to help those who face a similar situation; I hope that my story and supporting research can help others consider options and give them hope. In my profession as a high school teacher, I have had several pregnant students who faced difficult choices. I tell my story for all educators because understanding adoption and the birth parent experience can help other professionals practice empathy and understanding for their students facing this situation. Because of my own experience, I think I understand their fears and issues, and am able to give compassionate guidance.

Foster parents are a vital component to the child welfare system and play an important role, one of which is supervising parental visitation (Muniz, 2018; Neil et al., 2003). With visitation as the primary intervention for family reunification (Haight et al., 2003), foster parents and birth parents are more than likely to interact with one another at some point in time. The purpose of this research study was to examine if foster parent attitudes toward birth parents influence foster parent attitudes toward birth parent visitation. Data was collected from 40 participants, 36 females and 4 males, from a foster family agency based in California and Texas. The study used a survey design and questions were distributed in a group setting, a mailed hard-copy, and a web survey link. The study’s findings revealed that that when foster parents had a more positive attitude toward birth parents, they had a more positive attitude toward birth parent visitation. The study concludes with recommendations for public child welfare agencies and foster family agencies to develop trainings for foster parents and for social workers to increase efforts in assisting foster parents and birth parents build cooperative relationships.

This thesis examines childbearing and first birth in Scotland. A description of empirical patterns and trends in childbearing and first birth in Scotland is given. Unique and appropriate analyses of data sources are presented. This includes analysis of the Scottish Longitudinal Study (SLS) and Scottish Social Attitudes Survey: Fertility Module (SSAS). The thesis clearly demonstrates the relationship between social stratification and childbearing within Scotland. This is apparent longitudinally, examining timings of first birth using the SLS, and in cross-sectional data using the SSAS, and comparing childbearing ideals and intentions with achieved numbers of children. The evidence suggests inequalities at play on parenthood. Those relatively less advantaged on measures of social stratification, for instance using data on occupations or educational attainment can be observed as starting families earlier than those more educationally or occupationally advantaged. Whether, and how, standard measures of geography relate to fertility outcomes is examined across several chapters and findings suggest that they offer some explanation relating to individual processes of first birth. A latent class approach is outlined which shows that economic theories of fertility can be reconciled with attitudinal indicators of opportunity cost and financial constraint. A distinctive theoretical position is also taken which culminates in the exposition of the position that childbearing can be usefully conceptualised in terms of a threshold effect.

Bakgrund: Barnhälsovården finns till för att främja alla barns hälsa, allsidiga utveckling och välbefinnande. Sjuksköterskans uppdrag inom barnhälsovården är att tidigt grundlägga god kontakt med båda föräldrarna till det nyfödda barnet samt främja båda föräldrarnas delaktighet i omvårdnaden av barnet. Som stöd för främjande av en jämställd vård infördes år 2018 ett enskilt samtal även med den ickefödande föräldern i det nationella barnhälsovårdsprogrammet. Syfte: Att undersöka hur sjuksköterskor inom barnhälsovården upplever det enskilda samtalet med den icke-födande föräldern. Metod: Studien genomfördes med kvalitativa intervjuer med stöd av semistrukturerad intervjuguide. Data analyserades med hjälp av kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Resultat: Fyra kategorier och tio underkategorier framkom i analysen. Följande kategorier presenteras: (i) Bättre kontakt med den icke-födande föräldern, (ii) Stort intresse för samtalet, (iii) Att kunna stärka föräldern i sin nya roll, och (iv) Att bekräfta betydelsen av att båda föräldrarna är lika viktiga. Konklusion: Införandet av det enskilda samtalet för den icke-födande föräldern har gjort att BVCsköterskan får möjlighet att grundlägga en bättre relation till den icke-födande föräldern och på så sätt utforma ett stöd som innebär en jämställd vård till hela familjen. / Background: The Child Health Care’s (CHC) aim is to enable all children's right to health, versatile development and wellbeing. It is important that the CHC-nurse early in the care of the newborn child develops a good relationship with both parents to create better possibilities for good health for the entire family. As a support for the CHC-nurses to be able to present an equal care for both parents a one on one conversation with the father/non-birth parent is offered when the newborn is about 3- 5 months old. Aim: The aim was to study the CHC-nurse’s experiences of the one on one conversation with the non-birth parent. Method: The study was conducted with a qualitative descriptive method including semi-structured interviews and qualitative content analysis. Result: The result is presented in the following categories: Better contact with the non-birth parent, Great interest for the conversation, To be able to support the parent in their new situation, To confirm the relevance of both parents being equally important. Conclusion: The introduction of the one on one conversation with the non-birth parent has increased the possibilities for the CHCnurse to found a better relationship with the non-birth parent. This increases the chances to offer equal care for the entire family.

Det enskilda föräldrasamtalet på BVC för pappan eller den icke födande föräldern äger rum när barnet är mellan 3-5 månaders ålder, detta för att kunna stödja och bekräfta föräldern i sin roll. Trots detta är det inte alla som väljer att komma på samtalet. Syftet: Studiens syfte var att belysa BVCsköterskors erfarenheter av förutsättningar för att ett enskilt föräldrasamtal ska äga rum med pappan eller den icke födande föräldern. Metod:Kvalitativ intervjustudie med 10 BVC-sköterskor. Analysen utgick från “The Classic Analysis Strategi” av Kreuger och Casey och användes med induktiv ansats. Resultat: Det identifierades en huvudkategori: Förutsättningar för ett enskilt föräldrasamtal med fyra underkategorier: BVC-sköterskans utbildning, BVC-sköterskans informerande roll, Jämställt föräldraskap samt Bekräftelse och inkluderande. Konklusion: I studien framkom att förutsättningar för att ett enskilt föräldrasamtal ska äga rum med den icke födande föräldern behövdes utbildning, kunskap om professionens roll, jämställdhet i föräldraskapet och att föräldern prioriterar samtalet. Genom att informera föräldrarna om det enskilda samtalets innebörd och hur anknytningen till barnet spelar roll i barnets utvecklingkan bättre hälsa uppnås. / The individual parenting interview at the child health center for the father or the non-carrying parent takes place when the child is between 3-5 months of age, to be able to support and confirm the parent in his or her role. Despite this, not everyone shows up for the appointment. Aim: The purpose of the study was to highlight child health nurse’s experiences of conditions for a individual parenting conversation to take place with the father or the nonbirth parent. Method: Qualitative interview study with 10 Child health nurses. The analysis was based on "The Classic Analysis Strategy" by Kreuger and Casey, with an inductive approach. Results: One main category was identified: Conditions for a favorable individual parenting conversation with four subcategories: Child health nurse’s education, Child health nurse’s informative role, Equal parenting and affirmation and inclusiveness. Conclusion: The study revealed that the prerequisites for an individual parenting conversation to take place with the non-birthing parent were education, knowledge of the profession, gender equality in parenting and that the parent prioritizes the conversation. By informing the parents about the meaning of the individual conversation and how the attachment to the child plays a role in the child's development, better health can be achieved.