Like a Mother: A Feminist Journey Through the Science and Culture of Pregnancy

by Angela Garbes

Instead, the void is filled with opinions and information from sources that are not always accurate and often rooted in particular value systems. They frequently leave women feeling confused, alone, afraid, or, worse, ashamed. As a result, our culture has adopted the belief that sacrifice and suffering—in silence—are simply the costs of becoming a mother.

there is no one correct way to become a mother. If pregnancy and motherhood have taught me anything, it’s that I have zero interest in judging people or the choices they make. What matters to me is that we have real choices—and the information to get there.

For all the physical changes of pregnancy, eventually that baby leaves your body, stretching and scarring and altering it on its way out. The squishy ball of soft skin that was once inextricable from yours will gain the strength to crawl, then walk, away from you. You are left with yourself—someone familiar yet totally different.

There is no right or wrong way to be pregnant, to become a mother, to make a family. There is only one way—your way, which will inevitably be filled with tears, mistakes, doubt, but also joy, relief, triumph, and love.