The social construction of Motherhood impacts us as individual mothers. This is the case even when we resist the ‘shoulds’.

In this episode I discuss what some of these impacts are and draw on the analogy of the ‘fish tank’ to help describe how we come to experience the social dimensions of Motherhood on an individual level, and why it is important to consider ‘culturally detoxing’ from intensive mothering ideology – and how much this process is even possible.

I point to the ways that guilt, mother-blame, and a ‘loss’ of self and identity are a consequence of living within patriarchal Motherhood, and the ways we are set up to ‘choose’ between binaries as women and mothers, such as that of the Madonna or the whore and the self-less or the self-ish Mother.

This episode covers research on mental health outcomes for Mothers as a result of living within the current cultural construction of Motherhood, and I share the process I’ve undergone in considering the purpose and direction of my work with my Liberated Motherhood group after reading this research.

While the experience of being a Mother is one that is so personal, changing the cultural construction of Motherhood that shapes individual experience is a public, social, political, professional, and cultural issue.

If you work with mothers and would like to be part of this change, consider enrolling in The Motherhood Studies Practitioner Certification online course, beginning April 12, 2021 - https://drsophiebrock.com/motherhoodstudies/

53. How the Perfect Mother Myth Impacts Individual Mothers

Have you ever felt judged as a mother based on the way your child has behaved?

In this episode I discuss the concept of the ‘good child’ and how it relates to the ‘good mother’ concept – also known as the perfect mother myth.

In the same ways that mothers experience social pressures and expectations around how we should act and behave, our children also live within social pressure, and this starts at infancy.

I reflect on the markers of the ‘good baby’ up until the ‘good teenager’ and share findings from my PhD research on the consistent 5 themes/traits of the ‘good child’ identified across my research interviews.

Both the ‘good child’ and the ‘good mother’ rely on compliance and people-pleasing, but they can also be what help us to foster a sense of belonging and social acceptance.

This is part of why such concepts can remain so powerful, and yet I argue that they actually fuel many of our maternal experiences of resentment, anger, and guilt. The connection between the ‘good mother’ and ‘good child’ actually sets up mothers and our children up to experience DISconnection – from ourselves, and each other.

Examining these concepts and how they show up for us and our children allows us to cultivate broader perspectives on the dynamics that are at play as we mother, as well as challenge correlations often made between our children, our mothering, and our worthiness.

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If you work with Mothers and want to support them further through integrating sociological understandings of Motherhood into your practice, consider The Motherhood Studies Practitioner Certification beginning April 12th. Find out more info here - https://drsophiebrock.com/motherhoodstudies/

54. The Expectations of the ‘Good Child’ and the ‘Good Mother’

Welcome to the first episode, where I share my vision and passion for this podcast. I explain the purpose behind The Good Enough Mother and give you 3 insights into how this podcast came about, why you may be interested in listening, and what aspects you will be able to connect with. I also answer the question of what IS a 'good enough mother'?

1. Welcome

What does it mean to be 'birthed' as a mother? I give a brief overview of the literature around the transformation of motherhood - one of the most significant transitions physically and psychologically that a woman will go through. I share with you some of my own story about transitioning to motherhood that happened in unusual and challenging circumstances.

2. Birthed as a Mother

What does empowered mothering mean and how do you become an empowered mother? I provide you the answers to this question, and offer tips and strategies for how we can embrace a practice of mothering that reclaims our strength, power, authenticity, and agency. I talk about feminism, privilege, and reveal some shocking statistics about the position of mothers in Australia today. This episode will demonstrate how embracing the practice of empowered mothering not only benefits individual mothers, but also their children and our society.

3. Empowered Mothering

Separating the science from the cultural constructs, and judgements from the lived reality, this episode dives into attachment theory as setting the building blocks for human development and relationships. But rather than giving a one-dimensional account of attachment, I examine some critiques that will challenge your thinking and have you questioning what you really believe to be true about attachment-style parenting. I offer my own response to these critiques and share a story about my own relationship with attachment parenting. I encourage you to break out of set mothering-boxes and enjoy nuanced discussion about the realities of mothering and attachment theory.

5. Attachment: Separating Science and Culture

Sleep is one of the most loaded and controversial topics you can discuss within motherhood. There is judgement regardless of whether you sleep train or not, and I firmly believe all mothers are doing the best with the information and support they have available to them at the time. I know that not getting quality sleep can have severe impacts on our health and quality of life, but I want to shift the conversation away from the ‘either/or’ paradigm about putting baby or Mum ‘first’. We need another way. This episode is part 1 in a two part series, and this part shares the sleep journey I’ve been on with my daughter. I speak the unspoken parts of sleep training and critique sleep training industry and culture for an exploitation of tired and vulnerable parents, approaching this from a place of compassion and empathy for mothers. We navigated through 18 months of frequent and distressed waking before finding answers that helped my daughter’s sleep. But this journey taught me surprising (and sometimes challenging) lessons about myself as a mother and woman, and has instilled in me a passion for education about biologically normal patterns of baby and toddler sleep. I think we need an overhaul of our current social and cultural model when it comes to the topic of motherhood and sleep! Stay tuned for part 2 where I dig into the research and the core of my argument, taking you through 7 myths of infant sleep that I believe need calling out and changing.
Mentions: 
Sophie Acott from Sleep, Play, Love.
Nourishing The Mother.

20. Sleep... To the Brink of Despair, and Through. (Part I)

This episode offers insight into what the research says on sleep training practices and frames the struggle with baby sleep as a structural and cultural one, rather than a purely individual one. I try and move the debate away from the divisiveness it can cause within motherhood, towards fostering compassion for parents while calling sleep training marketing tactics to account. I detail 7 ‘myth busters’ of infant sleep assumptions that include information on infant feeding, sleep spaces, ‘sleeping through’, and self-soothing. I argue for a move away from the either/or approach of prioritizing the caregiver OR baby’s wellbeing. We need to maintain the importance of attachment and responsiveness for babies, as well as support, rest, and empathy for mothers. I advocate for a cultural adjustment of expectations around baby sleep and a shift in where we focus our support and inquiry.

21. Seven Sleep Myths (Part II)

What does the research actually say on screentime, particularly for young children? I provide an overview of both the detrimental impacts and the ways screentime can be helpful. I apply this information about screentime to the philosophy of good enough mothering and discuss how to integrate screentime into the context many of us find ourselves in working from home with our children. I also offer strategies if you would like to try and limit screentime, as well as ways of how to integrate screentime into your lives in ways that minimize potential harmful consequences. I also discuss how to deal with feelings of guilt, while offering a frank but honest account of the research landscape and how to apply this knowledge into our current context.

29. Screentime: research and integration

In this conversation with Carly Grubb, founder of The Beyond Sleep Training Project, Little Sparklers, and Grubby Mummy and the Grubby Bubbies blog, we talk about the consequences of sleep training, the failure of our systems in supporting new parents, the intense emotional load that women carry in our families and communities, and what valuing motherhood means. Carly shares her own story of attending sleep school, and the ways she has used her painful and isolating experience to create what has become a groundswell movement of like-minded parents. The group Carly founded and runs with her team of admins and moderators – The Beyond Sleep Training Group – is approaching 100,000 members. The group supports biologically normal infant and toddler sleep, providing a voice against the tidal wave of the sleep training industry. We talk about the group’s formation, the ways it provides support, what goes on ‘behind the scenes’, what it’s like to run a group of this size, and what is next in stall through the work of the charity Little Sparklers. Part of this involves acknowledging the emotional work, unpaid labour, and personal sacrifices experienced by Carly and her team. This discussion extends beyond sleep training into our everyday experiences as mothers in this society. Having these conversations in public forums requires courage and vulnerability, but Carly’s passion for supporting mothers and babies, and her yearning to see institutional change has kept her going. This is a must-listen for pregnant women, Mums of babies and toddlers, and anyone who is interested in making our society better for mothers and their children.

31. Beyond Sleep Training - with Carly Grubb

In this episode I talk with Julianne Boutaleb – a consultant perinatal psychologist and Director of Parenthood in Mind – about the transition to motherhood, particularly in the context of the Covid-19 global pandemic. We discuss the dynamics and importance of the birth environment and postpartum period, and how parents can prepare for how their experience will be impacted by the context of a global pandemic. Julianne speaks about the processes of attachment between a mother and her baby, revealing some of the early attachment needs of a baby that may surprise you. As some of those most vulnerable members in our society, this episode highlights the experience of the baby in transitioning into the world, particularly in the context of Covid-19. We also talk about the changes that happen in a woman’s brain when she becomes a mother, and why mothers and babies are ‘born’ three times. Part of this process of readjustment and transitioning into the ‘mother’ role also can involve a sense of loss and grieving. Julianne offers advice about how we can move through these experiences with a sense of forgiveness, compassion, and gentleness, in order to use this time as an opportunity to settle into a new ‘maternal rhythm’. You can connect further with Julianne on Instagram @parenthoodinmind or through https://www.parenthoodinmind.co.uk/

32. The Becoming of a Mother

This conversation is with Sophie Burch, mother of 4 boys including twins, and therapist and coach, who is on a mission to help people maintain their mental wellbeing from pregnancy through birth and parenting. Sophie talks openly about her experiences in mothering her boys, and shares her professional insights and expertise as someone who speaks to parents everyday about the challenges they face in parenting. We reflect on the ways that surrendering, self-compassion, and Sophie’s terminology of ‘softening’ into the most challenging parts of mothering are what help us through. We talk about mindfulness, ‘micro moments’ of self-care, reframing tools, mirroring, and modelling, and Sophie shares with us a brilliant and practical strategy that you can adopt and implement into your daily life as a parent when things feel overwhelming. You can get Sophie’s ‘Beyond Birth Guide’ for early parenting, and join her weekly classes here https://www.themammacoach.com/beyond-birth-guide and sign up for my course Liberate: Your Motherhood Revolution here: https://drsophiebrock.com/liberate/

33. Surrendering and Softening into Mothering During Challenging Times

This conversation is with Dr Oscar Serrallach, GP and author of the ground-breaking book, The Postnatal Depletion Cure. In both his clinical work, and as a father to his three children, Oscar has witnessed the enormous stress of modern motherhood and the health implications experienced by mothers. He has dedicated his career to addressing what he terms ‘postnatal depletion’. In this episode we discuss what postnatal depletion is, what causes it, as well as treatment and prevention strategies – which are both physiological and social. Dr Oscar discusses neuroinflammation and challenges mainstream understandings of maternal mood disorders, relaying important findings on how postnatal depression is distinct from depression experienced by those who are not mothers. He discusses the changes that happen to a mother’s brain during pregnancy and postnatally, and how our stress response system is impacted. Dr Oscar importantly frames these changes as a ‘superpower’ and highlights the critical importance of mothering-work. We talk about matrescence, why motherhood continues to be devalued, and what our hopes are for the future of maternal advocacy and change.

34. Postnatal Depletion as the Physiological and Social Cause of our Exhaustion

Motherhood has many challenges, some that are talked about more publicly than others. One common challenge within mothers’ experiences that isn’t often addressed, is how trauma – particularly childhood trauma – impacts the practice of mothering our own children, and how judge ourselves as mothers. In this episode I speak with trauma-informed Integrative Psychotherapist Catherine Counihan to explore this complex topic. Cath shares with us ‘big t’ and ‘small t’ definitions of trauma, some examples of trauma, and describes how and why our childhood experiences impact our mothering. Part of this means highlighting the infant and primary caregiver attachment relationships, and how our early life experiences impact our mothering today. Cath explains the physiological effects of trauma and offers examples of how this shows up in our interactions with our children. We talk about concepts such as the ‘parentified child’, and how perfectionism and control are key challenges in our experience as mothers. This episode offers you insight into why and how motherhood can be very stimulating from a trauma perspective; the role of both compassion and rage; suggestions for how to ‘widen your window of tolerance’; and what you can do when you feel you’re in a triggered state. You can connect with Cath further @psychotherapy_mum.

35. How Trauma Impacts our Mothering

The imagery of the ‘perfect mother’ is almost the antithesis of the ‘angry mother’. Yet anger is commonly experienced in motherhood, particularly within a modern, western culture of intensified motherhood that places such high expectations on the ways that mothers should behave, feel, act, and live. Because of this, feeling anger when you’re a mother can provoke guilt, stigma, isolation, shame, and have you feeling like you’re not a ‘good enough’ mother. This episode offers insight into the experience of anger in motherhood, where anger comes from, what happens when we’re triggered, and the RULER approach for responding to our anger. I speak about the cultural roots of anger, common responses to anger in motherhood, and encourage us to get curious about our anger. If we framed anger as information, what could it be telling us about our life and our growth? What if we understood feeling maternal anger – and knowing how to channel, process, and respond to these feelings constructively – as actually necessary for both us, and our children? I share some perhaps surprising features of anger, and hope to shift the shame, stigma, guilt and isolation associated with maternal anger, through offering an alternative narrative in considering how our anger can be a constructive and transformational force.

*Please note that in some cases, anger can be a red flag for maternal mood disorders. If you feel anger has become an unhealthy, recurring, or destructive feature in your life, please reach out to your GP or email me info@drsophiebrock so I can connect you with support.

36. Anger in Motherhood

The ever-unfolding transition into motherhood is one that often asks us to connect in with our values, our desires, and our sense of identity, to embark on a journey of growth and transformation in ways that we had never anticipated before becoming mothers. This journey of ‘soul-work’ is the focus of this conversation with Dr Aleksandra Staneva. Dr Staneva is a mother, scholar, and psychotherapist who supports women to re-member and re-integrate their deep connection with their own soul. This episode explores how this work actually looks in practice, diving into topics such as inner-child work, the ‘mother wound’, the ‘death mother complex’, ‘shadow work’, inner re-mothering, the connections between trauma and the body, and how we can use dream work as a way to access our unconscious in supporting our own growth and development. In this episode, Aleks combined both rational, intellectualised teachings and understandings, with the non-intellectual wisdoms of our body. You can connect with her at horoforwomen@gmail.com, https://aleksandrastaneva.com/ on Facebook as /Drstaneva or Instagram horo_for_women.

38. The Soul-Work of Mothering

In this episode I talk with Leisa Masters from Earthside Birth Services on the subject of money and worth in motherhood and in business. We are both single mothers and business owners whose work supports mothers. It’s from this context that we explore how mothering is financially devalued, and the correlated challenges we’ve experienced in running businesses that support mothers. This episode covers research on the ‘motherhood penalty’, the ‘maternal ‘wall’ as the new ‘glass ceiling’, and the economic value of women’s care-work. There is recognition of our collective loss of community support and the commodification and hierarchy of valuing tangible ‘things’ in motherhood. We delve into a deeper discussion about the discomfort that can come up both in motherhood and specifically in mother-run businesses, around self-worth, and the socially reinforced expectation that mothers try and prove our worth through measurable, quantifiable outputs. We consider all of the ways that mothering is skilled work, how the way we see ourselves impacts how others see us too, and the potential that would open up for mothers if we were to recognise and claim our individual and collective value.

39. Financial Value and Self-Worth: In Motherhood and in Business

This is a conversation about the concept of ‘Matrescence’ as the transition into the identity of being a mother – a process that is unfolding and ongoing. I speak with Amy Taylor-Kabbatz who is a best-selling author, speaker, journalist, Matrescence Activist and mama of three. After more than a decade covering breaking news and current affairs for the ABC, Amy’s ‘traditional’ career took an unexpected turn when she found herself lost, overwhelmed and diagnosed with a thyroid condition after the birth of her first daughter. Amy went on a journey to learn about, explore, and then teach the concept of Matrescence as a way for women to access a language and understanding to describe the changes they go through when they enter motherhood. In our conversation we reflect on the revolution that is needed, both for mothers individually and socially, institutionally, and culturally.

40. A Mother’s Matrescence

Often, there can feel as though there is a conflict between the ways we would like to parent, and the social and structural forces that shape and influence our everyday lives as mothers. Amanda Donnet from Spilt Milk Psychology joins me in this conversation to discuss the ways so often, our ‘needs’ as mothers are framed as being in competition with the needs of our children. Negotiating this and finding space for our ‘selves’ is therefore connected with the idea that we need to be separated from our children – to have time away from the to ‘come up for air’. We challenge this narrative and the pressure mothers face to always centralize our children and place their needs above our own. Amanda offers us examples and tools for how we can learn to build our own ‘oxygen tank’ to ‘breathe under water’, and honour the ambivalence that is part of mothering. We talk about toxic positivity, how to teach our children how to deal with disappointment, strategies to cultivate self-compassion, and much more. Connect with Amanda at https://spiltmilkpsych.com/

41. Allying the Needs of Both Mothers and their Children

In this solo episode I reflect on the cultural construction of Motherhood as a ‘mask’ that we are expected to wear. We recognise, internalise and perform what it means to be a ‘good mother’ in our society. The power of this mask of Motherhood is that we are expected to wear it as our ‘natural’ state. It is supposed to come effortlessly, without complaint. We can convince ourselves while holding up the mask, that this is not only who we ‘are’ (or who we’re striving to be) but that holding up this mask is actually what is best for our children and families. We justify the pain and struggle by saying it is for them. I challenge this self-sacrificial narrative of martyrdom motherhood and talk about the process of revealing, discovering, and connecting with who we are, underneath the mask of Motherhood.

42. Revealing the Mask of Motherhood

*Trigger warning – talk of intrusive harm thoughts.

Perhaps surprisingly, having unwanted and intrusive thoughts as a mother is incredibly common, and in fact – almost universal. Yet, how often is this spoken about in motherhood? In this episode I interview Dr Caroline Boyd, a chartered clinical psychologist who is an expert on intrusive, unwanted harm thoughts that mothers have about their babies. We talk about the connection between harm thoughts and actually causing harm to our children, where harm thoughts come from, some reasons as to why we have them, and what we can do in response to these thoughts. Caroline warns against interpreting us having such harm thoughts as meaning we’re a ‘bad mother’. We reflect on the projection of perfectionism and mothering myths, and the ways intensive mothering contributes to the stigma, shame, guilt, and challenges that mothers face. You can reach Caroline at https://drcarolineboyd.com/ or through Instagram @_drboyd

Note – Fathers do also report experiencing these thoughts too, but to a slightly lesser degree to Mothers.

If this episode raises any concerns for you please visit your GP. You can also reach out to Caroline or Sophie, and/or contact the services below:
UK: PaNDAS - 0808 1961 776
AUS: PANDA - 1300 726 306
USA: Postpartum Support International - 1-800-944-4773(4PPD)

43. Scary Thoughts as Part of Motherhood

This conversation about breastfeeding may be unlike any you’ve heard so far. I speak with world-renowned breastfeeding expert Professor Amy Brown from Swansea University, who specialises in research exploring early experiences of parenthood with a focus on infant feeding, mental health and normal baby behaviour. We talk about the pressure mothers are under to ‘get it right’ and how this is connected to expectations of both being a ‘good mother’ and having a ‘good baby’. Amy shares insights on the changing landscape of breastfeeding research and public policy over the last 14 years, and some more recent shifts in creating space to honour women’s grief when they aren’t able to breastfeed. We discuss the complex and sometimes confusing narratives that exist around infant feeding, power, grief, anger, and how mothers are often set up to blame ourselves.

44. Infant Feeding as a Social, Cultural, and Political Issue

What does ‘conscious parenting’ mean and how does it afford us the opportunity for growth as mothers? This conversation is with Bridget Wood, thought leader on human behaviour and mother to three young children. Bridget discusses the ways conscious parenting is ultimately about being in relationship with our children, recognising that our child is teaching us just as much as we are teaching them. We discuss the ways our perspectives on the world frame our reality, and the ways this can be both a challenge and an opportunity. We consider the ways ‘gentle parenting’ on a pedestal can sometimes feel like a cage, and the importance of giving both ourselves and our children permission to be fully human. We finish by reflecting on how sitting with discomfort can sometimes be what leads us into our power. You can connect with Bridget further through http://www.nourishingthemother.com/ and find out more about her program DISRUPT here http://www.suburbansandcastles.com/programs-and-coaching

45. Conscious Parenting as Our Opportunity for Growth

This is a conversation about grief and mothering, and the complex challenges that arise when not only grieving the death of your child, but in also supporting your children who are grieving the death of their sibling. I speak with Emma Poore, mother to 3 children, writer, illustrator, and author of ‘Where are you Lydie?’ – a picture book for young siblings and families managing the loss of a baby or young child. Emma has written and illustrated this book honouring her daughter Lydie and her family’s bereavement journey through the eyes of their young sons, George and Henry. The book is endorsed by Sands Charity and recommended by a growing number of Bereavement charities and healthcare professionals, and is a resource for us as parents to open up space for difficult conversations with our children about death. We talk about Emma’s journey into motherhood, the nature of grief, and the importance of language. You can purchase a copy of ‘Where is Lydie?’ through Emma’s website www.emmapoore.co.uk

Ep 46. Child Bereavement and Mothering with Grief

Dr Greer Kirshenbaum is the first ever neuroscientist doula and is founder of Nurture Neuroscience. She has worked in academic neuroscience labs, studying how genetics and experience shape the brain, nervous system and body to influence lifelong physical and mental health. Greer uses her knowledge and expertise from the scientific world to offer that research and information directly to parents and educators. In this episode she shares some of this information, including how and why the early years of childhood are so important, the ways genetics and early life experiences shape the nervous system, how and why infancy is classified as 0-3 years old, the nature of emotional regulation, the history of care, the importance of epigenetics, and so much more. We also talk about mothering within this context of knowing how we may want to nurture our children, and yet facing many barriers and challenges in being able to offer this type of care. This conversation is part of us moving towards a ‘Nurture Revolution’ as Greer terms it, and recognising how this is also connected to revolutionalising how we understand and experience Motherhood. You can connect with Greer through her Instagram @nurture_neuroscience_parenting Facebook @NurtureNeuroscience and her website is https://www.nurtureneuro.com/

47. Neuroscience and the Nurture Revolution

This final episode of 2020 is a reflection on the ways perfect motherhood shapes the lives of mothers, and explains how and why the festive season and other celebrations intensify and amplify this pressure. I give voice to the often-invisible load that women carry at this time and the expectations on mothers, children, and the ‘family’ unit to ‘perform’. I reflect on the mental load, but also on some of the challenges in having the only solutions suggested as ‘stepping back’ or ‘delegating’. I pose questions to consider about the extent to which mothers are expected to sacrifice their wellbeing to facilitate the enjoyment of others, how we have been conditioned to want to ‘please’ others, but also the complex dynamics involved when it comes to wanting to ‘give’ to our children. This leads to a consideration of how our worthiness is measured, and purpose is defined. Ultimately, cultivating connection with ourselves as Mothers offers a precious gift of ‘presence’ to ourselves and our family.

Bumbling

48. The Festive Season as the Arena for the Perfect Mother Myth

Did you know that a Mother’s brain is more malleable and receptive to learning after giving birth?

In this episode of TGEM I chat with Dr Jodi Pawluski, behavioural neuroscientist and therapist about the fascinating effects of motherhood on the maternal brain.

We talk about whether ‘Mummy brain’ actually exists, and the interplay between both social and physiological factors that shape our experience of mothering.

Dr Pawluski reflects on what has been left out and not yet explored in neuroscience when it comes to motherhood, and I ask her about the brain differences between those of us who give birth to a baby, compared with fathers and other caregivers.

We open up discussion about the plasticity of our brains, and how the changes we go through when we become Mothers impact relationships, attachment, and so much more.

You can connect with Dr Pawluski through her website https://www.jodipawluski.com/ listen to her podcast Mommy Brain Revisited, and find her on Instagram @dr.jodi_pawluski

49. Rethinking 'Mummy Brain'

In this episode I address what I believe are some misunderstandings about the concept and application of the ‘good enough’ mother as an approach to parenting. I recognise the subjective, complex, and changing use of language – as it is attached to meaning – and share some of the challenges involved in actually enacting a theory like this in our everyday lived reality as mothers. This involves defending the value of good enough mothering as an approach, and describing some of the benefits that it can offer to us and our children. I also discuss some of the costs of subscribing to intensive mothering ideology – or the ‘perfect mother myth’ – as motivation for us to consider integrating a ‘good enough mothering’ perspective. I share my own interpretation of what I see ‘good enough mothering’ to mean, which guides both my work with Mothers, and my own mothering of my daughter.

50. Addressing Misconceptions about Good Enough Mothering

As mothers, we shoulder the burden of structural inadequacies but can feel these inadequacies as personal failings – like it is all ‘on us’. As so many of us are mothering in isolation, without the support or community that we need, this is so often the case -  it IS left up to us and us alone. We are also socialised into taking individual responsibility for what are collective challenges, and sold the ‘solutions’ of doing more, buying more, and being ‘better’. Understanding how and why the social construction of motherhood fails mothers (and our children) and sets us up to experience fatigue, guilt, and disconnection, is the first step to challenging this cultural construction. But it can be difficult to then take these understandings and create real shifts in our beliefs and practices as women who mother. We can feel ‘stuck’ – especially if working towards such changes is framed in any way as a ‘taking away’ of our children. This is part of what I discuss in this episode with Beth Berry – author of Motherwhelmed, founder of Revolution From Home, and Mother to four daughters. Beth shares her wisdom and insights as a Mother, writer, activist, life coach and circle facilitator as we become what she terms ‘soul-fire stewards’ to rise up, cultivate our agency, and ‘mother ourselves back to wholeness’. Connect with Beth on social media @revolutionfromhome and buy a copy of her book Motherwhelmed here - https://revolutionfromhome.com/

51. 'Mothering Ourselves Back to Wholeness' Within The Social Construction of Motherhood

Janet Fraser’s story is one that I think every woman and mother needs to hear. As she says, when feminists said the personal was political, they probably did not anticipate in how many ways this could be true. Janet’s baby was born still. She was then subjected to a police investigation, a coronial inquiry, media scrutiny, and public vitriol. As she articulates in her book and explains in this episode, Janet was punished for her activism for birthing women, and her refusal to be an ‘obedient mother’. This conversation shares both Janet’s personal experience, while also discussing the broader systems of our culture, society, and institutions that we live within as women and mothers. We talk about the way this can create polarization between us in motherhood, the public ‘owning’ of women’s emotions, bodily autonomy in birth, the problems with talking about ‘choice’, and the complexity of grief. Janet is a mother, poet, historian, and has been National Convenor of the Australian homebirth network, Joyous Birth since 2004. She writes at Patreon, where she foments women’s studies and revolution at Despatches from the Matriarchy. You can catch her on Facebook and Twitter. Order Janet's book, 'Born Still: A Memoir of Grief' - https://www.spinifexpress.com.au/shop/p/9781925950120

52. The Personal is Political: Birth, Grief, and Motherhood

The role of being a Mother offers us the potential for incredible expansion, growth, and power, while also being one of – if not THE – most challenging, undervalued, and taken for granted roles in the world. Motherhood Studies Sociologist, researcher, and single Mother, Dr Sophie Brock hosts The Good Enough Mother (TGEM) podcast with an aim to change how Motherhood is culturally defined and individually experienced. TGEM draws its name from a theorist and pediatrician Winnicott, who highlighted the ways ‘good enough’ parenting is actually what is best for our children – not perfectionism. The podcast centres the Mother as the starting point for conversations with experts and change-makers who are passionate about seeing social, cultural, and institutional change to better support Mothers and therefore our families, and communities.

The Good Enough Mother

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