The Phenomenology of Pregnancy and Early Motherhood: Ethical, Social, and Psychological Perspectives

The Phenomenology of Pregnancy and Early Motherhood provides an ethical, social, and psychological investigation of the process of becoming a mother. Through a phenomenological analysis that engages with feminist philosophy, medical ethics, philosophy of care, and phenomenological psychology, Susi Ferrarello unravels the intricacies of this transformative phase of life to shed light on layers of lived experiences that impact the well-being of the woman. This book addresses the complexity of common lived-experiences characterizing this transition; the overarching period from the first to the fourth trimester, issues concerning maternal-fetal bonding, breastfeeding, PDAM, loss of identity and coming back to work. Enriched by case studies from Ferrarello’s philosophical counseling practice, the book provides a compassionate and insightful exploration of the struggles, triumphs, and moments of self-revelation that mothers encounter in their daily lives. By exploring the heart of the maternal experience, this book shows the often-unspoken realities faced by women as they strive to balance their roles as caregivers, partners, and individuals. The book offers a powerful means for everyday reflection on early motherhood and the ethical, as well as practical, dilemmas it raises. This text is an essential resource for graduate students studying phenomenology, ethics, feminist philosophy, moral psychology, as well as therapists and professionals interested in the challenges of pregnancy, motherhood, and women’s mental health. Cover Half Title Title Copyright Dedication Contents Introduction 1 Weave and Mend: Stories of Pregnancy and Motherhood I. Women Who Come Back II. Weave and Mend III. Living the Question IV. Stories IV.1 Maternity and Pregnancy IV.2 Early Motherhood—Patricia IV.3 Transition From Pregnancy to Motherhood—Camilla IV.4 From Woman to a Mother IV.5 My Story—Nina IV.6 Elliott Kronenfeld, Parenting IV.7 Becoming Something Like a Mother, Maren Wehrle IV.8 When I Did (Not) Become a Mother, Emanuela De Bellis IV.9 You, Me and the Mother, Susi Ferrarello 2 No Bump No Care: Core Problems in the First Trimester of Pregnancy I. An Introduction II. The Forgotten First Trimester II.1 Alienation, Objectification, Vitality: Three Problems III. Mindfulness and Phenomenology as a Way to Approach These Problems III.1 Finding One’s Own Voice III.2 Thinking as Usual III.3 My Body, an Object III.4 Disembodied Beings III.5 Low Vitality IV. Conclusion 3 Breastfeeding in Wonderland: Exploring (Dis)Embodied Experience I. Nobody Tells You . . . I.1 Nature Says: "Breast Is Best" II. Breastfeeding Is a Lived Experience III. The Sinful Breasts IV. Disembodiment and Loss of Agency V. New Life-Worlds V.1 Brexting: Shame on You! V.2 The Price of Isolation VI. A Conclusion: Choosing to Be the Primary Caregiver 4 The Clash of Volitions: Do I Want What My Baby Wants? I. Introduction II. The Logic of Embodied Interrelation III. Feeling at Home in the Symbiotic Individuation: Motivations III.1 I Am, You Are III.2 A New Skin III.3 Operating and Not-Operating Willing III.4 Desires Need Time to Become Willing IV. A Broken Narrative IV.1 First-Hand Accounts V. Conclusion 5 More Gossip, Less Ethics: Ethics of Motherhood and Self-Transformations I. Introduction: The Outcasts II. What Kind of Subject Is the Pregnant Mother? II.1 Me, You and Our Bodies: Bodily Schemas II.2 Phenomenological Views III. How Do We Perceive the Other in Pregnancy? Double Intention III.1 The Role of Empathy in Double Intentionality and the Sensory-Motor Identity IV. Generative Stories V. What Are the Transformative Moments in Pregnancy and Early Motherhood? V.1 Self-Transformation and Teleology VI. More Gossip, Less Ethics VII. Conclusion 6 Women Who Come Back: Reconnecting With One’s Resources, Space and Time I. Introduction II. The Paradox of Aloneness II.1 The Theme of Death and One Origin of Femicide III. The Story of "Sealskin, Soulskin" III.1 Coming Back IV. Time for Leaving IV.1 The Event of Giving Birth IV.2 Visceral and Opaque Body: Time to Come Back V. To Whom Do We Come Back? Who Are We When We Come Back? VI. Conclusion Index