The Culture of Motherhood

Our culture speaks endlessly about pregnancy and parenting, yet rarely about the truth of what they ask of us. When it does, the stories are often idealized or incomplete, celebrating the baby while overlooking the person becoming a parent.

​

The perinatal period intersects with some of the most demanding social roles we hold: partner, professional, caregiver, friend, daughter, and now, parent. These layers can collide in ways that stretch even the most capable among us.

​

You may be navigating:

• Pressure to “do it all” while recovering from birth or loss

• Workplace cultures that overlook the needs of new or expecting parents

• Isolation, especially when community care is replaced by comparison

• Financial strain or inequitable access to quality healthcare

• Cultural or familial expectations that silence emotional struggle​

​

These are not side notes to the perinatal experience; they are central to it. The stories we inherit about strength, sacrifice, and perfection shape how we experience this threshold.

​

When we name these pressures for what they are—systemic, not personal—we reclaim our right to rest, to support, and to be cared for as whole people in the process of becoming.