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Existing literature provides nascent insights into structural arrangements that shape mothers' experiences of being a sport fan, yet we know little about the social meaning sport fandom holds for mothers. This exploratory study draws on qualitative interviews with 41 mothers from Australia and North America to examine their understandings of sport fandom in the context of their everyday lives and contemporary ideologies about mothering. Findings suggest that sport fandom presents an opportunity for mothers to redefine and transform both fan and mothering practices, thereby challenging popular orthodoxies that fandom becomes less important to women after having children. By foregrounding mothers' efforts to stay engaged with their fandom, we extend research on the experiences of women sport fans and offer alternatives to normative constructs of fandom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is the first to examine experiences of women with leadership roles in the U.K. Higher Education sport sector. We carried out detailed interviews with women leaders. We utilized Bourdieu's model of habitus, capital, and field; Acker's concept of "gendered organizations;" and Shilling's concept of physical capital. Our findings show Higher Education operates more inclusively than the wider sport sector, which has the potential to advance gender equality. However, gendered practices remain with women working harder to accumulate and convert capital. Motherhood negatively impacts conversion of capital and respondents without children felt this benefitted their career. Finally, we discuss the impact of menopause on the careers of women and suggest this can impact self-perception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Postpartum mothers are susceptible to lumbopelvic pain which may be exacerbated by loading, like carrying their infant in arms and with baby carriers. Nulliparous women carrying infant mannequins may biomechanically mimic mother–infant dyad, but this has not been studied. The purpose of our study was to investigate biomechanical differences of 10 mothers carrying their infants and 10 nulliparous women carrying infant mannequins under 3 gait conditions: carrying nothing, carrying in arms, and carrying in a baby carrier (babywearing). Spatiotemporal gait parameters, peak ground reaction forces and impulses, and lower extremity and trunk kinematics were collected using motion capture and force plates and compared using a mixed 2 × 3 (parity × condition) analysis of variance (α ≤.05). The largest differences occurred between carrying conditions: carrying in arms or babywearing increased vertical and anteroposterior ground reaction forces, trunk extension, ankle dorsiflexion, and hip and knee flexion. Kinematic differences were identified between arms and babywearing conditions. Together this suggests alterations in joint loading for both groups. Our study also contributes a novel understanding of postpartum health by demonstrating alterations in step time, anterior forces, and ankle and knee mechanics, suggesting that during gait, mothers carrying their own infants choose different propulsive strategies than nulliparous women carrying mannequins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Little evidence is available from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities on the association between motherhood and physical activity (PA). This study aimed to examine independent and joint associations of cultural background and motherhood with meeting PA guidelines, participation in organized sports, and high sitting time (>8 h/d). Methods: We used self-reported cross-sectional data from survey 8 of the 1973–1978 cohort of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health. PA was measured using the Active Australia Survey while organized sport and sitting time were measured using single items. CALD was defined as being born in a non-English speaking country or primarily speaking a non-English language at home. Multivariable-adjusted logistic regression analyses were used to examine independent and joint associations. Results: Data from 5967 women (mean age 42.4 [SD 1.5] y, 6.9% CALD, 81.2% mothers) were analyzed. Women of CALD background had lower odds of meeting PA guidelines (odds ratio; 95% confidence interval: 0.80; 0.64–0.98) and participation in organized sports (0.68; 0.54–0.86), but no statistically significant association with sitting time (0.90; 0.72–1.14). Mothers had lower odds of meeting PA guidelines (0.75; 0.64–0.87) and high sitting time (0.42; 0.36–0.49). Compared with non-CALD women without children, mothers (irrespective of cultural background) were less likely to meet PA guidelines and have high sitting time. The association of "cultural background and motherhood" with organized sports participation was only significant for CALD mothers. Conclusions: Increased efforts and investments are needed to ensure that sports and other PA promotion interventions are culturally sensitive and engaging for CALD women and those with children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although liminal theory explains transitional periods in consumers' lives – such as preadolescence – the impact of these transitions on emotionally connected actors and the transformations that the latter endure have been largely overlooked. Through a qualitative study of the mothers of preteen girls, we show that liminality spills over and that mothers transform from fully needed to authoritative-friendly moms. During this process, these mothers engage in spilled-over liminal consumption (SOLC), which comprehends concomitantly loosely and creatively crafted rituals and new and re-signified routines. However, amid the process of assuming a new mother's role and helping their daughters' transformation, these mothers unreflectively reinforce traditional gender norms. Based on our findings, we discuss the process of SOLC and how it ends in reproducing gender and class-based stereotypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study profiled various levels of engagement and related communication behaviours among 50 Asian Indian Tamil autistic children (AUT) and their mothers. The interaction was compared with two groups of mother-child dyads of non-autistic (NA) children, 50 in each group, matched for chronological age (CA), and for language level (LL). Results indicated that despite mother's efforts to engage with their children, autistic children were often 'engaged with objects' or remained 'unengaged' due to children's preference for solitary play, while NA children were often engaged in 'co-ordinated' and 'people engagement'. Across the three groups, mothers predominantly took the lead and dominated the interaction, irrespective of children's language levels. These initiations by the mothers were often to provide instructions and to ask 'What' questions. Autistic children initiated communication predominantly to ask for an object and responded often in the form of negations and protests with limited verbal output or non-verbally. Most of the communication behaviours of both children and mothers in AUT group was quantitatively and qualitatively different when compared to those in both the NA groups, indicating unique nature of interactions despite matching for CA or LL. The observations from the study highlights the need for considering adult's contingent behaviours also, while assessing communication skills of autistic children in order to provide effective intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

La mammoplastie de réduction concerne en grande partie des femmes en âge de procréer et peut théoriquement interférer avec les capacités d'allaitement maternel (AM), alors que les bénéfices de l'AM ont bien été démontrés. Les données actuelles de la littérature ne permettent pas de fournir une information précise sur les possibilités d'AM après mammoplastie de réduction. L'objectif de cette étude est d'évaluer la capacité d'AM sur le long terme chez les femmes après mammoplastie de réduction réalisée dans le service de chirurgie plastique de l'hôpital Saint-Louis (AP-HP). Il s'agit d'une étude rétrospective, comparative, concernant des patientes ayant bénéficié d'une mammoplastie de réduction à l'hôpital Saint Louis entre 2010 et 2017 et ayant eu des enfants avant ou après chirurgie. Les données concernant l'intervention ont été recueillies dans le dossier médical, et la capacité à allaiter a été évaluée à l'aide d'un questionnaire standardisé lors d'un entretien téléphonique. L'allaitement des enfants nés avant chirurgie a été comparé à l'allaitement des enfants nés après chirurgie. Nous avons analysé l'AM sur 21 naissances avant chirurgie et 35 naissances après chirurgie. Le taux d'initiation à l'AM était similaire entre les deux groups (83 % vs 90 %, p = 0,7), la durée médiane d'AM était significativement réduite après chirurgie (10 semaines vs 3 semaines, p < 0,01), ainsi que le taux d'enfants allaités à 3 mois (43 % vs 11 %, p < 0,01). Le taux d'utilisation de préparations infantiles était plus élevé après chirurgie (74 % vs 100 %, p < 0,01), ainsi que le taux d'arrêt d'allaitement pour cause d'hypogalactie (11 % vs 69 %, p < 0,001) L'allaitement après mammoplastie de réduction est possible, mais plus difficile à maintenir sur le long terme. Les patientes doivent en être informées avant la chirurgie, et celles qui souhaitent allaiter après la chirurgie doivent y être encouragées à la maternité. Breast reduction surgery often concern women of childbearing age. However, it can interfere with the ability to breastfeed, whereas the benefits of breastfeeding are well known. Current data in the literature do not provide precise information on the possibilities of breastfeeding after breast reduction surgery. The aim of this study was to assess long-term breastfeeding ability of women after breast reduction performed in our centre. This is a retrospective comparative study including patients treated with breast reduction at Saint-Louis Hospital between 2010 and 2017 and who have had children before or after surgery. Operative details were retrieved from medical records and ability to breastfeed was assessed during a phone interview. Breastfeeding before surgery was compared to breastfeeding after surgery. We analysed 21 births before and 35 births after breast reduction. Breastfeeding initiation was similar in the two groups (90% vs. 83%, P = 0.7), but the median duration was significantly shorter after breast reduction compared with before (3 weeks vs. 10 weeks; P < 0.01), the rate of breastfed child at 3 months was lower after surgery (11% vs. 43%; P < 0.01), the use of infant formula was higher after surgery (100% vs. 74%, P < 0.01), and we found a higher rate of discontinuation caused by hypogalactia (69% vs. 11%; P < 0.001). Breastfeeding is possible but more difficult to sustain over time after breast reduction. Patients need to be made aware of that before surgery, and patients who still want to breastfeed should be encouraged at the maternity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A cross-sectional online survey was undertaken (July–August 2020) to ascertain parents' experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic of being at home with their newborn baby in the first 6 weeks. Participants (n = 371) were mostly biological mothers (n = 369, 99.4%), white British (n = 351, 94,5%), first baby (n = 186, 50%). A statistically significant positive correlation was found between maternal confidence and number of children (rho (369) = 0.295, p <.001) and baby's age at time of participation (rho (369) = 0.139, p =.009). Participants without higher educational qualifications (median = 62, SIQR = 3.5) had statistically significant higher confidence (U = 11831.500, p <.001) than participants with higher educational qualifications (median = 58, SIQR = 2). Parents of babies without health issues at birth (median, 61, SIQR = 3.5) had statistically significant higher confidence (U = 13213.500, p <.001) than parents of babies with health issues at birth (median = 58, SIQR = 5). Three qualitative themes have emerged: the impact of "no partner" restrictions; mixed emotions and lack of information and support. In conclusion, parenting during a pandemic created anxiety and fear, affected by "no partner" restrictions, not being allowed to appointments, scans, and during labor. Some parents were more confident and indicated benefits including heightening bonding with baby and partner during social distancing. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The strain of the pandemic on the mental health and well-being of parents could have a negative impact on future parenting. Healthcare professionals should not underestimate the potential consequences of declining perinatal mental health and should be vigilant to screen, enquire, and refer. Further research on this cohort of parents and children exploring the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their ongoing health and wellbeing could be beneficial for future health-care policies and guidance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parents who have experienced cumulative childhood interpersonal trauma (CCIT, i.e., an accumulation of different types of abuse) tend to experience higher parental stress following the birth of a child. As CCIT is associated with lower levels of partner support, which is linked to increased parental stress, partner support could explain the link between CCIT and parental stress. Yet, these variables have never been studied using a dyadic approach. This study examined the role of received and provided partner support in the association between CCIT and parental stress. A randomly selected sample of 1119 couples with infants completed online questionnaires assessing CCIT, partner support, and parental stress. An actor-partner interdependence model path analysis showed that both parents' CCIT were associated with increased paternal stress through fathers' lower received and provided support, and with increased maternal stress through mothers' received and provided support. Overall, the findings highlight the significance of examining the interdependence between both parents' experience and the role of partner support as a key factor explaining the link between CCIT and parental stress, thereby emphasizing its importance as an intervention target. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article argues that Ann Yearsley, a milkwoman, mother, and poet, not yet fully recovered into the British literary canon, challenges stereotypical representations of breastfeeding mothers created and perpetuated primarily by male authors in Romantic poetry, philosophy, and medical discourse. Her poem "To Mira, on the Care of Her Infant" depicts breastfeeding as a complex labor that requires skill, intelligence, empathy, and discipline. In this poem, Yearsley rejects the arguments of Romantic writers such as William Wordsworth, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and William Cadogan, who depict nursing mothers as passive vessels of milk or substitutes for a nurturing "mother nature." I further locate Yearsley in rich networks of subscribers, printers, and periodicals adjacent to canon authors and texts. Thinking particularly about the conventions of epic and georgic forms, and their relationship to nationalism, labor, and motherhood, I ultimately show how Yearsley recasts the nursing mother as a subject rather than an object. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this qualitative study was to examine experiences and meanings of maternal ambivalence in first-time mothers with young children. Background: In contrast with normative expectations surrounding contemporary motherhood, there is growing recognition that becoming and being a mother involves ambivalent feelings, and that these feelings are normal and have positive psychological consequences. Yet, little attention has been paid to women's subjective experiences of maternal ambivalence, and capacity to acknowledge and manage ambivalent feelings. Methods: Eleven semi-structured online interviews, with first-time mothers, were conducted and analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) methodology. Results: Two group experiential themes were identified: Crossing boundaries of acceptable mothering feelings and Mothering from a place of 'enough'. Ambivalent mothering feelings challenged participants' expectations about motherhood and themselves as mothers, producing anxiety, self-doubt and feelings of failure. Distress accompanying maternal ambivalence was especially acute when participants perceived their feelings to be unacceptable. Viewing conflicting feelings with compassion, however, helped participants to cope with their diverse and fluctuating emotional mothering experiences, allowing them to mother with a greater sense of equanimity, agency and competence. Conclusion: The study's findings indicate the potential benefits of providing information about the emotional turbulence of early motherhood as part of routine maternity care, as well as the potential value of offering parenting interventions that promote self-compassion to mothers struggling to manage feelings of ambivalence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The strong Black woman (SBW) stereotype is a universal phenomenon understood and experienced by Black women. In this qualitative study, I examined how 16 Black women who are mothers make sense of the SBW stereotype, highlighting how their lived experiences of mothering children in high-burden urban neighborhoods and their experiences at the intersection of race, class, and gender, shape their understanding of the SBW stereotype. Using qualitative phenomenological methods and semi-structured interviews, thematic analysis of interview data revealed three main themes regarding the perception and experience of the SBW stereotype as: (a) ambiguous and contested expectations central to Black motherhood, (b) engenders a sense of loss, and (c) shapes the experience and expression of depression. Study findings support and extend a growing body of work linking the SBW stereotype to depressive symptoms and overall mental health among Black women. This study also highlights the importance of examining how Black women's intersectional identities and contexts, in this case place or where one lives, shape the experience and perception of the SBW stereotype. My hope is that clinicians develop a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of the SBW stereotype and its potential mental health effects for all Black mothers. Findings also suggest a need for clinicians, researchers, and policymakers to create empowering opportunities for Black mothers, especially those mothering in impoverished contexts, to express their authentic and whole selves in service of healing themselves, their families, and communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Consolidate and synthesize evidence on working nurse‐parent experiences of parenthood. Background: Demands in healthcare strain the workforce, causing burnout and high turnover rates, especially among nurses. Balancing work and family responsibilites is even more challenging for nurse‐parents. Introduction: Nursing is highly stressful, and the experiences of nurse‐parents are under‐researched highlighting the need to better understand and support nurse‐parents in their dual roles. Methods: Seven databases (PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, ProQuest, Scopus, and Web of Science) were systematically searched for published and unpublished primary qualitative studies. Extracted data were meta‐summarized and synthesized using Sandelowski and Barroso's approach. Findings: Twelve peer‐reviewed studies, conducted between 2007 and 2022, investigated the challenges faced by 339 female nurse‐parents across various countries. The meta‐synthesis revealed two main themes: (a) Clashes of dual roles, and (b) Accept, adapt, and compromise, which were supported by six subthemes. Nurse‐parents struggled with dual roles, often neglected self‐care, and experienced work–family conflicts. However, they learned to accept their situations, adapt by seeking help from family, friends, and colleagues, and compromise on career aspirations to prioritize their families. The importance of organizational support and flexibility in accommodating their dual roles was emphasized. Discussion: Female nurse‐parents face challenges in balancing their dual roles, resulting in fatigue, compromised self‐care, and limited social interactions. The culture of self‐sacrifice in nursing contributes to these challenges, impacting patient safety. Supportive interventions like mindfulness programs and exercise classes can promote well‐being. Staffing shortages and shift work further affect the work–life balance for nurse‐parents. Conclusion and implications for nursing and health policy: Creating a supportive work environment for nurse‐parents is crucial. Family‐friendly shifts revised parental leave policies, and improved childcare support are needed. Supporting nurse‐parents benefits their well‐being and enhances patient care. Collaboration between healthcare organizations and policymakers is essential to address workforce shortages and implement changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Background: The prevalence of childhood obesity in the U.S. has increased, likely due to decreased physical activity, increased sedentary behaviour and unhealthy diets. Little is known about the relationships between these factors and weight gain in those under the age of three. Objectives: This study aimed to understand the longitudinal associations of weight gain over 6‐month intervals with child and parent characteristics as children develop from 6 to 36 months. Methods: Mother and infant data were collected at 6‐month intervals from 6 to 36 months. Weight (kg) was the primary outcome variable, and potential explanatory variables included child and parent characteristics, physical activity, motor development, diet and sleep. Structural equation modelling was used to assess associations between explanatory variables and 6‐month weight gain. Results: Weight increased ~1 kg per 6‐month interval (p < 0.001) from 6 to 36 months. Childcare outside of the home at 12 months was associated with 0.272 kg (p = 0.002) greater weight gain at 18 months, while children's physical activity was associated with 0.228 kg (per 2 SD, p = 0.051) less weight gain during the same time period. Mother's TV and screen media use (0.102 kg per hour/day, p = 0.046) and child's intake of high‐energy beverages at 18 months (0.387 kg, p = 0.037) were both associated with greater weight gain at 24 months. Conclusion: Childcare, physical activity, screen media use and high‐energy beverage consumption might affect weight gain at different time points in early childhood. These insights can inform efforts to prevent excessive weight gain and childhood obesity effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genetic relatedness figures heavily in contemporary ethical debates on egg freezing, although the arguments lack empirical‐based evidence. Rather than adding another theoretical view on the moral relevance of genetic connections, this paper instead proposes an empirically grounded perspective based on two independent qualitative interview‐based studies conducted in Belgium and France. Three themes emerge from our empirical data: (1) prioritizing family building; (2) centering the gestational experience of motherhood; and (3) identifying the complexities and limitations of adoption. These themes suggest that the relationship between egg freezing, genetics, biological motherhood, and adoption is highly complex and less straightforward than what is often assumed in the egg freezing debate. Our study provides more detailed insights into women's ambivalent experiences regarding those reproductive options. We discuss the ethical implications of our empirical findings and hold that pursuing genetic desire is not necessarily the main moral reason why women freeze their eggs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using contrapuntal analysis to explore interviews with 25 women in the U.S., we contribute to understandings of maternity leave as an ideologically laden and contested experience through multilevel (micro-meso-macro) themes within centripetal-dominant and centrifugal-marginalized discourses. The centripetal discourse of Maternity Leave as a Manageable Transition (MLMT) animated leaves as restful vacations, relational experiences, and predictable processes designed to facilitate workplace re-entry. In contrast, the centrifugal discourse of Maternity Leave as Maternal Experience (MLME) framed maternity leave from a maternal-centric perspective characterizing leaves as spaces of effortful recovery, isolation, and fluid/unpredictable processes. We contribute to relational dialectics theory (RDT) by exposing the complexities and controversies surrounding motherhood, mothers' wellbeing, and maternity leave in the United States with theoretical and practical implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In August of 2021, Netflix released Cooking with Paris, a six-episode cooking series starring Paris Hilton. Instead of the mature, business-minded Hilton featured in the 2020 documentary This is Paris, Cooking with Paris showcased Hilton as the vapid socialite she played in the early 2000s, sparking public discourse that attempted to make sense of this apparent incongruity. In this essay, we critically analyse popular press about Cooking with Paris through the lenses of celebrity studies and post- and popular feminisms to uncover the sensemaking devices that audiences/critics used to understand Cooking with Paris and Hilton. We argue that popular discourse about Cooking with Paris, and Hilton herself, serve to uphold troubling and impossible double-binds for women through their focus on Hilton's aspirational motherhood, the (in)authenticity of Hilton's persona, and the image incongruity between the versions of Hilton that we see in This is Paris versus Cooking with Paris. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The representation of motherhood and the feminine in Fiennes's Coriolanus has until recently been unduly overlooked. The present investigation provides an analysis of key aspects and crucial scenes of the film, in which the Shakespearean issues of femininity and motherhood are represented, reinforced, metaphorised and/or questioned. This paper argues that the significance of the female dimension is expanded in the cinematic version of the play and recoded in terms manageable and relevant to a new-millennium audience. This amplification of the feminine, and of motherhood in particular, partly redresses the gender balance in the film and figuratively represents what Coriolanus tries to escape but cannot avoid in his blind quest for impenetrable, self-sufficient masculinity, which is revealed as a destructive myth nurtured by the destructive mother culture of contemporary society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This critical ethnographic study explores a participatory action research group consisting of Latin American immigrant mothers seeking to involve their community in school decision‐making. Drawing from pedagogies of acompañamiento, I describe how the mothers responded to decision‐making challenges and leveraged reflections on their struggles to co‐create knowledge and belonging. I demonstrate how their collective learning highlights transformation outside of formal policy channels, pushing us to consider alternative ways of making social change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior literature has long established self‐gifts as a form of symbolic self‐communication that can be particularly meaningful and impactful for individuals to enhance self‐concept clarity and self‐definition during life transitions. However, little is known about how life transitions may bring about changes in the practices and meanings of self‐gifting. Drawing on individual interviews with 22 first‐time older mothers, this research uses temporal self‐appraisal theory as the theoretical lens and temporal landmarks as a sensitizing framework to explore how people's past, present, and future selves may unfold and interact in influencing their self‐gifting practices and meanings. Our findings contribute to a fuller understanding of the temporal nature of self‐gifting by highlighting the varying self‐gifting orientations that emerge from the interaction, reflecting changes in temporal self‐appraisals and how they enable a sense of self‐(dis)continuity for psychological well‐being. The temporal perspective of self‐gifts offers a theoretical framework for understanding how self‐gifts, a form of symbolic self‐communication, express, manage, or facilitate perceived self‐changes and the need for self‐continuity. The marketing implications and applications of the theoretical framework are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the past few years, I've been seeking out books that frustrate many readers—and sometimes myself among them. They are frequently described as sketchy, short, fragmented, diaristic—when the reader is being kind—and lazy, boring, or pointless when she is not. The official category (on the back of the book, right above the ISBN) sometimes reads Poetry, sometimes Novel, sometimes Memoir, sometimes Essay—or, sometimes Essay/Poetry or Essay/Literature. Some of the more famous examples include Sarah Manguso's Ongoingness, Maggie Nelson's Bluets, Claudia Rankine's Don't Let Me Be Lonely. In this essay, I will propose and define a new genre in contemporary literature: the lyric diary—a slender volume in which a depressed, middle-age, female first-person narrator records the mundane experiences of her everyday life alongside facts, ideas, and quotations in flat, affectless 'shreds' of prose. Blending elements of the confessional poem with the diary and other non-literary modes of historical women's writing, the lyric diary rejects plot and the narrative arc for the lyric's associative logic and the diary's serial, episodic movement. The lyric diarist does not narrate: she records. It is all that she, exhausted from working the double shift, can manage to do. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on motherhood and gender roles concerning first-generation migrant women from Myanmar (Burma) who have relocated to Canada. It explores to what extent the women of the Myanmar diaspora challenge or still maintain their gender norms and relations embedded in the sending country’s cultural context while simultaneously juggling the responsibilities among their multiple identities as mothers, wives, and employees through the lens of feminist mothering theory. The investigation is based on a review of maternal theorists and feminist migration scholars who explore the lived complexities of migrant mothers within the context of Southeast Asian migration to Western countries, as well as conducting a qualitative survey interview with eight employed Myanmar diasporic mothers in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) in 2020. Based on the findings, the paper argues that feminist mothering should be discussed as a combination of structural conditions (e.g., cultural beliefs, and material and economic demands) and subjective feelings about paid and unpaid work (e.g., domestic and child responsibilities). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are around 2.2 billion mothers (“Statistics”), and over 77 million live in the United States (US) (United States Census Bureau). Unfortunately, feminists have self-admittedly done a poor job representing the interests of mothers. Shari L. Thurer, for example, asserts that as soon as a woman becomes a mother, “ her personal desires either evaporate or metamorphose so that they are identical with those of her infant” (191). In short, she “ceases to exist” (Thurer 191). Moreover, even though women’s unpaid domestic work in the US raises the gross domestic product by 25.7 per cent (McCann), economists often overlook the work of full-time mothers. This article situates mothers within feminist theory and discourse by demonstrating that mothers are not fully represented by feminists or economists and as such are marginalized by both identities. In short, motherhood is an experience that is not adequately addressed by the experiences of women or workers. An intersectional approach will help ensure mothers get the attention they deserve as a social identity in intersectional feminist scholarship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the A&E docuseries Born behind Bars (2017) to explore how misogynoir affects the construction of motherhood in the Leath Unit Prison Nursery Program, one of ten prison nurseries in the United States. These gender-responsive programs intervene in the epidemic of mother-child separation by allowing pregnant incarcerated mothers to live with their babies for a finite period. This article applies misogynoir as a framework to analyze white mothers’ efforts to regulate Donyell, the one Black mother on the unit, whom they label lazy, dirty, and a thief. Using a standard of whiteness and a discourse of maternal criminality, white mothers position themselves as the pinnacle of motherhood despite being incarcerated and, in turn, position Donyell as deviant. Grounding white mothers’ depictions of Donyell as unfit in stereotypical images pathologizing Black motherhood, this article argues that white mothers in Born behind Bars perpetuate misogynoir through language to replicate the systemic criminalization of Black motherhood and uphold patriarchal definitions of motherhood that exclude Black mothers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maternal feminist theory and normative motherhood are influenced by a repronormativity that assumes all birthing people will breastfeed or chestfeed their infants. However, there is a predominant absence of a critical analysis of breast and chestfeeding from maternal theory and normative motherhood. Many new parents— for example, trans parents who have had chest masculinization surgery and parents who have had double mastectomies—do not have the privilege or ability to breast or chestfeed. For these breastless parents, the dilemma they face is intensified by normative motherhood discourses that essentialize good parenting as hetero-normative and repronormative, along with “breast is best” propaganda espousing erroneous health benefits. In this article, I argue that breastfeeding mandates are ubiquitous and misguided, in part due to an unspoken and assumed aspect of normative mothering, which has diluted the way health and perinatal care systems support breastless parents. This article centres repronormativity and transnormativity, ideologies entrenching the gender binary into its most rigid form, as intrinsic structures to normative motherhood. Understanding these concepts illustrates the harm inflicted on gender-nonconforming (or maternal nonconforming) identities embodying parenting. To combat this embodied shame and discrimination, I outline a conceptual framework for transnormative parenthood delineated by queer, intersectional, and ambivalent dictates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the complexities and intersections of cultural, religious, and socioeconomic factors that shape Muslim motherhood and the resiliency of Muslim mothers while raising children in North America. I argue that Muslim mothers are marginalized in an intersectional manner. As Muslims, they are religious minority group members in the West, and the majority are members of racialized minority groups of colour. The concept of “ killjoy” is explored as a means of representing the heaviness of maternal guilt felt by Muslim mothers raising resilient children in the West. I share my mothering journey and new perspectives on being a killjoy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article argues for the continuing relevance of Bertolt Brecht’s 1931 “ learning play,” The Mother, through a comparative assessment of two of its recent productions by experimental performance collectives My Barbarian (in 2013) and The Wooster Group (in 2021-22). Through analyzing the productions’ respective intermedial performance strategies, this article explores how both collectives use Brecht’s century-old play to address contemporary social and political challenges while privileging motherhood as a powerful mode of resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The eleven essays in this special issue originated from the “Motherhood to motherhoods: Ideologies of the ‘Feminine’” conference held at Chapman University in Orange, California, on April 28-30, 2023. Against the background of intense discussions on women’s reproductive rights in the United States (US), the conference provided a fertile ground for reexamining motherhood as a concept extending beyond essentialist and biological determinations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A version of this paper was originally given at the Motherhood to Motherhoods: Ideologies of the ‘Feminine’ conference at Chapman University in April 2023. It presents a comparative textual analysis of two recent films dealing with mothering in the post-apocalypse—A Quiet Place (2018) and Bird Box (2018)—to examine a new maternal myth taking shape, which I call “only mom can save the world.” This work is broken into four sections. The first section confronts the irrefutability of white, heteronormative family structure in these works. The second section examines maternal subjectivity on screen. The third section deals with maternal regret, and the fourth section questions “mother love” as representative of a ubiquitous and unfailing survival strategy. I argue that although these films ostensibly present very different formulations of motherhood, they both ultimately work to affirm or re-establish white, middle-class heteronormative motherhood as the most vital form of emotional and social connection in the face of a collapsing world. Current myths of motherhood tell us that when deployed correctly, “mother love” has the power to shape the future. Considering contemporary anxieties surrounding ecological and economic disasters in our world, the need to examine these problematic myths takes on new weight and immediacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Throughout history, motherhood has been a primary occupation, perhaps in some instances a preoccupation, of many women. Ancient corpora, such as the Hebrew Bible and comparative ancient Near Eastern literature, highlight the priority of maternity. Preserved within such ancient texts are pronatalist notions, representative of cultural and religious values, regarding childbearing, reproductive loss, maternal morbidity, and mortality. Yet despite the often deathly realities of childbirth, numerous women navigated the precarious stages of pregnancy and postpartum life in hopes of securing their status within the patrilineage. Indeed, motherhood brought social goods and benefits that were difficult to attain in other ways. From the vantage point of the present, the higher incidence of morbidity and mortality resulting from birthing in antiquity is jarring. Readers of ancient accounts may fall prey to a significant interpretive trap, decrying the “primitive” problems of the past while neglecting to notice and address corresponding and comparable issues in the present. Examining the past should not be a mere act of historical gawking but should provide information and impetus for holistic and sustainable change in the present. Despite advances in healthcare and technology, too many women today continue to sustain injury or suffer death during maternity. Motherhood can be a grave experience. Expectant women, especially those from racialized and marginalized communities, who are anticipating the possibility of new life, are all too frequently caught in the throes of death. Examining extant sources from the past offers us opportunities to interrogate the present and actively work towards a more life-giving future. The task is an urgent one. Today, as in antiquity, maternity is still a matter of life and death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Danzy Senna explores the challenges of racialized intersubjectivity in transracial mothering in her 1998 novel Caucasia. Transracial mothering pertains to mothers who possess a different racial identity from that of their children, most often in mixed-race families. The literature on mixed-race identity and experience is notably limited, particularly concerning motherhood in mixed-race settings. This article addresses this gap and explores racialized intersubjectivity in mother-daughter relationships by analyzing motherhood in Danzy Senna’s novel Caucasia. Racialized intersubjectivity describes how racial differences affect the interchange of thoughts and feelings, both conscious and unconscious, that provide a shared perception of reality between two or more persons. This paper builds upon the literature regarding the effect of race on maternal competence by looking further into racial dynamics in mixed-race families. A careful analysis of the text demonstrates how racial differences between mothers and daughters inherently impact their intersubjectivity, thus complicating their reality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Doing justice to their families and the political mandate is especially difficult for MEPs. Parents struggle to balance family obligations and work, particularly when the children are young. They undertake extensive journeys between their home constituencies and Brussels or Strasbourg. This taxing routine is further compounded by prolonged working hours, often devoid of leisurely weekends. In combination with the absence of a comprehensive parental leave policy, these challenges disproportionately affect parents of young children, particularly mothers, influencing the diversity and representation within the European Parliament. This study critically examines the existing conditions that shape the working environment of MEPs who are parents. It explores recent endeavors to reform these conditions and the underlying obstacles that hinder the progress of these reformative initiatives. Referring to relevant documents, this study first outlines formal regulations governing parental rights in the European Parliament. We then address informal rules and recent reform proposals using insight from MEP interviews. This examination investigates how parent MEPs assess working conditions and balance competing demands. Despite expectations, the European Parliament falls short of being as family-friendly as anticipated. Nevertheless, recent times have witnessed increased attention to the topic and various reform proposals. The obstacles posed by diverse national legacies and variant conceptions of MEP mandates and statuses for reform are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the narratives of Mental load (ML) within the realm of migration. The study captures the migration experiences of three Indian mother‐workers across their journey of migration. By examining the ML situated at the intersection of migration, motherhood, and paid work, our study bridges the theoretical gap at the micro level by understanding how skilled Indian mother‐workers manufacture subjectivities as they now spend their lives in Australia and Canada. We define ML in the context of migration and explore how these women navigate the newness of identity, cultural adaptation, and reframe mothering, all while juggling their ML accompanying the unfamiliarity of mobility. Further, we demonstrate how migrant mothers understand themselves diversely in relation to their careers in the new land. We find that ML ascends in the beginning of the journey. Further, the research unveils that the mother‐workers agentically modulate their ML with a clear and well‐defined migration objective as the guiding beacon in steering through the subsequent migration journey. Moreover, the absence of clarity in migration objectives substantially augments the ML. These results hold significance in the conceptualization of migration‐related ML of mother‐workers, hence offering a subjective lens to capture the everyday portrait of a migrant mother‐worker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article adopts a law and literature approach toward Genesis 21:14-21, focused on the legal themes within the narrative and how these themes shape the story. Genesis 21:14-21 records the expulsion of Hagar and her son from Abraham’s home. I identify multiple legal idioms and terms within this unit and argue that the narrative uses legal terminology in order to depict the child’s expulsion specifically as a transfer of custody from his father to his mother. In her marginalization from Abraham’s home, Hagar also gains legal rights, and this article examines these shifts in power from a law and literature perspective in order to interrogate Hagar’s parental rights within the biblical text and to demonstrate how they function within the ancestral narrative as a means of formalizing the rupture in Abraham’s household. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social expectations of women as mothers significantly impact the reproductive decision-making process for those who have the potential for childbirth. This article focuses on women in Iceland who regret motherhood. It aims to understand how regretting motherhood is experienced and the consequences of living with a socially unacceptable emotion. Based on the results of in-depth interviews taken with sixteen heterosexual ciswomen who regret becoming mothers, we employ reflexive thematic analysis to explore the social and personal factors that promote motherhood and how they manage their regret. The results suggest that despite the intention of the participants not to become mothers, pro-natalist ideals, social assumptions, and expectations of women as mothers wield a powerful hold over the ability to reject the role. Many participants grapple with the expectation that all women want to become mothers, familial expectations, and the assumption that mothering is an inherently emotionally fulfilling undertaking. The findings also suggest that the discourse of maternal regret can be understood as a resistance to normative cultural motherhood expectations and intensive motherhood narratives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevalence and influence of gangs on adolescents and young adults remain a concern in Western Cape, South Africa—particularly as they have one of the largest gang presence. While less attention has been focused on young women, there is a need to elucidate the relationship between gang exposure and health behaviors, such substance use, in addition to understanding whether becoming a caregiver impacts this relationship. This study uses baseline data from 496 participants enrolled in a NIDA-funded R01 trial that recruited young women aged 16 to 19 who were out of school and reported recent alcohol or other drug use and sexual risk behavior. At enrollment, a risk behavior survey was administered, and urine drug screening was conducted. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine baseline associations between childbirth, a gang exposure index based on eight items, and positive drug screens of the most prevalent drugs in the Western Cape (marijuana, methaqualone, and methamphetamine). At enrollment, approximately 39% of the sample had a positive urine screen for marijuana, 17% for methaqualone, and 11% for methamphetamine. Additionally, 28% had ever given birth. While only 6% reported ever being a member of a gang, most reported exposure to gangs through their physical and social environments. For all three drugs, gang exposure was associated with statistically significantly higher odds of a positive screen. Every one-point increase in the gang exposure index was associated with a 31% increase in the odds of a positive marijuana screen (p <.001), a 26% increase for methaqualone (p = 0.005) and a 37% increase in the odds of a positive methamphetamine screen (p <.001). Ever given birth was associated with lower odds of marijuana use (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 0.63; 95% CI: 0.42–0.96), but it was not associated with methaqualone or methamphetamine use. The findings suggest that exposure to gangs through young women's social and physical environment is positively associated with drug use. Childbirth was also protective for marijuana use, indicating there may be something unique about this type of drug, such as one's ability to more easily stop use. Although very few young women reported gang membership, a majority reported some exposure, indicating the need to address how pervasive this exposure is and the potential risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In the context of stigma and mental health research, limited empirical studies examine stigma through the positioning of individuals within interview contexts. This study addresses this gap by investigating the positioning processes in interviews with mothers with a mental illness, with a specific focus on the use of contrast devices as a strategy identified through analysis. By analysing how mothers position themselves through contrast devices and to which discourses they refer, this study provides insights into how stigmatising discourses are evident in the narratives of mothers with a mental illness. Methods: This study is based on 20 semi-narrative interviews with mothers with a mental illness who participated in the Village Project (a pilot project co-created for children of parents with mental illness in Tyrol, Austria). Our analysis focuses on identifying stigmatising discourses related to motherhood and mental illness by examining the use of contrast devices in their accounts. Results: The analysis shows insights into mothers' efforts to distance themselves from labels such as 'bad mother', 'not normal/crazy women' and 'weak person'. These positions often carry a gendered dimension, with motherhood emerging as a central position. Our study highlights the challenges mothers with a mental illness face in navigating societal norms and expectations related to motherhood during research interviews. Conclusion: The research contributes to a deeper understanding of mental health stigma in the context of motherhood, emphasising the importance of considering gendered dynamics and societal expectations in mental health research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThis article presents a broad analysis of the Ottoman penal policies concerning the tolerant and clement punitive sanctions for mother offenders during the late Ottoman era. It scrutinizes the penal strategies of the late Ottoman government, particularly its endeavors in criminal justice reform, with a specific focus on the treatment of female offenders concerning their reproductive functions and maternal roles. The socio-cultural, religious, and biopolitical significance of mothers exerted a profound impact on the formulation of particular Ottoman penal policies. Hence, the main argument of this article underscores the widespread valuation of even criminal women and their babies within the Ottoman penal contexts. This valuation is exemplified through the application of penal measures, including the suspension of death sentences, exemption from strenuous penal labor as stipulated in the 1858 Penal Code, provision of supplementary rations and specific healthcare services, hospitalization of pregnant inmates, and child protection as outlined in the 1880 Prison Regulation. Although the implementation of the penal codes and prison regulations was frequently hampered by fiscal crises and political instability, these attempts marked the birth of penal biopolitics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently there has been growing recognition of the productive and protective features of our microbial kin and the crucial role of 'commensal' microbes in supporting and sustaining health. Current microbiological and pharmacological literature is increasingly highlighting the role of maternal gut microbiomes in the long‐term health of both mothers and children. Drawing on the information and advice directed towards Australian parents from conception through the first years of a child's life, we consider its messaging about the need to secure for the foetus/future‐child an enduring, optimal state of health by managing the maternal microbiome. We argue that this post‐Pasteurian trend gives rise to relations of care that are, at once, newly collective and more‐than‐human—but also disciplinary in ways that position the maternal microbiome as a new site of scrutiny that disproportionately responsibilises and burdens mothers. We notice how microbiome research is used both to reframe motherhood as a form of micro(bial)‐management and to maintain motherhood as a medicalised process. The feminist and more‐than‐human potential that this research can provide is missing in the way these resources are presented to parents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transition to parenthood is an exciting, yet stressful, time during which trajectories of infant outcomes, parent health, and coparenting dynamics are established. New parents often receive messaging about what "successful" parenting entails. Expectant parents may adopt rigid beliefs about parenting roles, including views that mothers are more important and "know best." New fathers who view their parenting role as less essential may be at risk for low levels of parenting self-efficacy. This brief report examines changes in self-reports of maternal essentialism beliefs and parenting self-efficacy in first-time fathers. A community sample of first-time fathers, N = 66, completed self-report online questionnaires at the 3rd trimester and 3 months postpartum. Dependent samples t-tests were conducted to evaluate changes in maternal essentialism beliefs and parenting self-efficacy across the transition to parenthood. Bivariate correlations and multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to evaluate relations between maternal essentialism and parenting self-efficacy within and across time-points. Fathers' essentialist beliefs and parenting self-efficacy increased across the transition to parenthood. We found negative, cross-sectional associations between fathers' maternal essentialist beliefs and parenting self-efficacy at both time points. These results underscore the importance of assessing fathers' beliefs about parenting and parent roles as they transition to fatherhood. Highlights: This study assesses beliefs surrounding maternal essentialism and parenting self-efficacy in a sample of first-time fathers. First-time fathers may experience low levels of self-efficacy in the transition to parenthood. Maternal essentialism, or belief that mothers are more important, tends to increase across the transition to parenthood. Maternal essentialism is related to lower parenting self-efficacy in fathers at 3-months postpartum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This qualitative study aimed to explore how having a child with a functionally univentricular heart (FUH) affected mothers' experiences of their parental role and identity. Eight mothers whose children had undergone the Fontan surgical procedure were recruited via social media. Interviews were completed using Microsoft Teams and audio-recorded, then transcribed and analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Four themes were identified: (1) being a "heart mum", (2) managing competing roles: "you have to wear lots of different hats all at the same time", with subthemes (a) promoting normality vs. protecting the child and (b) mothering vs. nursing roles, (3) loss and regaining of identity and (4) relinquishing control and letting go of caring roles. Parenting children and young people (CYP) with FUH presented significant challenges to mothers' parental role and identity, which they managed in various ways. There are implications for health services to support mothers with their psychological wellbeing, managing nursing roles and their child's transition to adulthood. Highlights: Mothers described a "heart mum" identity, which was reported to consume their personal identity. Balancing parental roles involved challenging emotional and practical responsibilities. Mothers found it difficult to let go of caring roles, with implications for their coping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mothers of autistic children encounter numerous daily challenges that can affect their adaptation. While many studies have documented the impact on mothers of having an autistic child and factors contributing to their adaptation and their experiences of motherhood, few have examined how mothers of autistic children perceive their overall adaptation. We investigated with a qualitative design how mothers of autistic children perceive stressors, facilitators (resources, coping strategies, and contexts), and outcomes of adaptation in various life domains. Participants included 17 mothers of autistic children ranging from 2 to 8 years old. Mothers participated in a phone interview about their perception of their successes, challenges, and adaptation as mothers of their children. A thematic analysis was conducted on interview transcripts using inductive and deductive coding. A cross-case analysis was subsequently used to identify themes and subthemes. Results highlight the complexity of the maternal adaptation process in the context of autism, which starts before the child's diagnosis. Stressors, facilitators, and outcomes were described as overlapping in the psychological, social, professional, marital, and parental life domains. The accumulation of stressors was identified as mothers of autistic children's main source of stress and almost impossible to reduce. Participants explained having difficulties accessing effective facilitators. While outcomes of adaptation vary across mothers and life domains, indicators of distress were identified for all participants. Implications are discussed regarding how service providers and society could better support mothers of autistic children by considering their complex reality and by providing more resources and information. Highlights: Mothers of young autistic children participated in semi-structured interviews about their adaptation process. The adaptation process starts before the child's diagnosis. Stressors, facilitators, and outcomes overlap between life domains. The accumulation of stressors is identified as the main source of mothers' stress and is almost impossible to reduce. Outcomes of adaptation vary across mothers and life domains, yet all mothers mention at least one indicator of distress. Service providers should focus on offering more resources to mothers to promote better access to effective facilitators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The literature emphasizes that motivations for having a child are an important factor in mother-child adaptation post-adoption. Unfortunately, there are no instruments on motivations to have a child adapted to this population that can contribute to new evidence with quantitative research. Therefore, this paper aimed to adapt and investigate evidence of validity and reliability of the MCS scale (Brenning et al., 2015) within a sample of expectant adoptive mothers. The transcultural adaptation followed eight rigorous steps, including experts, focus groups, back-translation, and a pilot study conducted with biological mothers and soon-to-be adoptive mothers. For evidence of reliability, the scale was applied to a sample of 267 women waiting to adopt a child, with an average age of 38.7 years. The five-factor structure was confirmed, and the factors correlated as in a continuum, supporting the Self-Determination Theory. The MCS is valid and reliable for assessing the quality and intensity of the motivation to have a child in Brazil and in the context of adoptive motherhood, and it is suitable for future empirical research and practical application. Highlights: This study validated the MCS scale to the context of adoptive motherhood and, by doing so, provided an efficient tool for future empirical research. The MCS scale has good psychometric properties for use in Brazil in the context of soon-to-be adoptive mothers. The five-factor structure was confirmed, supporting the Self Determination Theory in this sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Muslim women are often caught between idealized images of motherhood within Islamic traditions and the challenges of their lived experiences, as they navigate their subjective identities as Muslim mothers in contemporary South African society. We discuss mothering experiences as an epistemological site for the construction of complex Muslim maternal subjectivities. In part, these subjectivities demonstrate innovative responsiveness to the complexity of mothering amid changing social norms, through the crafting of maternal value frameworks that reflect both the particularities of contemporary social life as well as the quest for a more universal Islamic moral perspective. We argue that Muslim women's dynamic constructions of their maternal subjectivities represent a form of lived, contemporary Islamic ethics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Anxiety and depression during the postpartum period can have a significant impact on mothers' perceived sense of responsive caregiving, causing considerable distress. This association may be affected by mothers' perception about social support. In the context of low-and-middle-income countries where prevalence rates of maternal mental illnesses are high and access to health care services is limited, informal supports become more relevant. Aim: The study aims to understand the lived experience of mothers who had postpartum depression or anxiety and their perceived distress related to infant care giving. It also explores the role of social support in the motherhood experience. Methods: Six mothers with postpartum depression or anxiety were interviewed to understand their experience of postpartum depression and/or anxiety and their perceptions about social support. The interviews were analyzed using a reflexive thematic analysis approach. Results: The thematic analysis revealed four themes, namely, (a) uncertainty and helplessness, (b) misattunement with the immediate family, (c) personal strength rooted in the family support system, and (d) other means of coping. Mothers with postpartum anxiety and depression can have emotional, informational, and tangible social support needs in the context of uncertainty and helplessness, which are associated with different challenges and barriers for infant care in the Indian context. Conclusion: Support from family members is viewed as a pillar of comfort and recovery for the mothers. At the same time, if it is not adequately attuned to the needs of the mother, it can become a major source of distress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]