The Baby Bump Project: Researching Pregnancy and Motherhood

It is hypothesised:

there is a direct relationship between pregnant embodiment and women’s identity with femininity and maternity.
that the pregnant body is the most visible and distinctive aspect of a first- time mother’s identity as she makes the transition to motherhood.
that experiences with the physical changes associated with pregnancy suggest the centrality of the body in a woman’s transition to motherhood
the best way to analyse these experiences is through women’s personal narratives.

This research investigates the public pregnancy. That is the ways women experience their pregnant bodies as compared to the ways the pregnant body is represented in the media and culture. Feminist scholarship is extremely interested in debates surrounding the body. In a society focused on representing female bodies as thin, how women respond to internal and external changes in their bodies is important for feminist research. The research consists of:

focus groups with pregnant women or those having recently given birth to discuss body image, public pregnancy and motherhood.
A longitudinal study consisting of semi-structured interviews with women between 12 and 18 weeks pregnant and continuing until the birth.