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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.
History
Publication title
Australian Mothering: Historical and Sociological PerspectivesEdition
1stEditors
CP Leahy and P BueskensPagination
155-177ISBN
9783030202668Department/School
School of HumanitiesPublisher
Palgrave MacmillanPlace of publication
ChamExtent
22Rights statement
Copyright 2019 The Author(s)Repository Status
- Restricted