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Chapter 3 - Becoming a Mother

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 November 2022

Catherine McMahon
Catherine McMahon
Affiliation:
Macquarie University, Sydney
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Summary

This chapter synthesises psychological theory and research on how women adapt to pregnancy – the changes in their own bodies, the developing baby within, the integration of a maternal identity, and the renegotiation of relationships with partners, and others. Challenging pregnancy contexts are examined: unplanned pregnancies, disability, ‘off-time’ pregnancies, and the chapter concludes with an overview of psychological wellbeing during pregnancy, and different orientations to motherhood.

Keywords

Jamila’s Story: An Unexpected PregnancyJamila explains how an unexpected pregnancy changed the course of her adult life, and the identity struggles she faced in becoming a motherDaisy’s Story: “The Traditional Way is the Right Way for Me”Daisy describes her experience reconciling Traditional Chinese and modern views on childbearing and the complexities of extended family support.Developmental tasks of pregnancyMaternal identityMaternal foetal attachmentTeenage pregnanciesBiological clockOlder first-time mothersPerinatal mood disordersOrientations to motherhood
Type
Chapter
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Becoming a Parent
Contemporary Contexts and Challenges during the Transition to Parenthood
 , pp. 48 - 79
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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  • Becoming a Mother
  • Catherine McMahon, Macquarie University, Sydney
  • Book: Becoming a Parent
  • Online publication: 18 November 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108870641.004
Available formats
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Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

  • Becoming a Mother
  • Catherine McMahon, Macquarie University, Sydney
  • Book: Becoming a Parent
  • Online publication: 18 November 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108870641.004
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Becoming a Mother
  • Catherine McMahon, Macquarie University, Sydney
  • Book: Becoming a Parent
  • Online publication: 18 November 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108870641.004
Available formats
×