Emotions with maternity: The models imposed on the answers of women

Abstract

“Ay! Motherhood is the most beautiful event in a woman’s life!” This is one of the commonest expressions that can be heard when a woman is pregnant. These expressions are articulated by family, relatives as well as by health professionals. They mirror hegemonic socio-cultural understandings about motherhood. They act as a mechanism of socialization that dictates how women should feel and define which emotions are appropriate to make sense of their experiences. This paper is based on our PhD projects and it examines the multiple ways in which women experience motherhood. We reflect on how some emotional experiences diverge from prescribed cultural norms and assumptions about motherhood, by doing so women are advocating for alternative models of motherhood.