3 - Motherhood Moralities

Summary

In Chapter 3, we focus on the women we interviewed, specifically paying attention to their expectations about first-time motherhood as compared to the reality of motherhood after the birth of their child. To do this, we explore three areas that for many of the women provided a stark contrast between expectation and reality. The first pertained to conceiving a child, with this being more difficult for some women. The second pertained to navigating breastfeeding, with some women experiencing significant challenges. Third, we focus on experiences of postnatal mental health issues, and how this related to idealised expectations about new motherhood. As a whole, these three areas speak to normative moral claims that are often associated with new motherhood, and how the women we interviewed grappled with these.