Mothers-in-waiting: maternographies of pregnancy in Australia since 1945

A woman’s experience of pregnancy is influenced by a range of factors, including her physiological responses, the cultural beliefs of her society, and her personal emotional history. This chapter considers the Australian history of pregnancy since 1945, drawing upon oral histories about experiences of becoming a mother, which I call ‘maternographies.’ Changes to the historical context surrounding pregnancy are firstly examined, before focusing on the stories which women construct about gestation. Narrative themes recurrently emerged which I have termed stories of conception, preparation, suffering, generation, anticipation and transition. Although these nine months of waiting for maternity are often overshadowed by the intensity of birth and early mothering, I argue that first pregnancy is most meaningfully understood as an apprenticeship for motherhood.