Motherhood is no longer a simple concept. Black’s Law Dictionary defines “mother” as “a woman who has given birth to or legally adopted a child.” Recent advances in reproductive technologies have called into question this basic definition of motherhood. Through in vitro fertilization, it is possible to extract an egg from one woman and implant the fertilized egg into the uterus of another woman...

The transition to motherhood is a dramatic event during the lifetime of many animals. In mammals, motherhood is accompanied by hormonal changes in the brain that start during pregnancy, followed by experience dependent plasticity after parturition. Together, these changes prime the nervous system of the mother for efficient nurturing of her offspring. Recent work has described how neural circui...

The present study examines the relations between adolescent motherhood and children's behavior, substance use, and internalizing problems in a sample of 1,368 children of 712 female twins from Australia. Adolescent motherhood remained significantly associated with all mental health problems, even when using a quasiexperimental design capable of controlling for genetic and environmental confound...

The U.S. has the highest adolescent pregnancy rate in the industrialized world, and adolescent motherhood is associated with increased risk for child mental health problems. The present study examines the relations between adolescent motherhood and children’s behavior, substance use, and internalizing problems in a sample of 2,553 children of 887 twin pairs. Adolescent motherhood remained signi...

Objective. The aim of this study was to provide a critical understanding of the role of theories and their compatibility with a person-centered approach in the design and evaluation of web-based support for the management of chronic illness. Methods. Exploration of web-based support research projects focusing on four cases: (1) preschool children aged 4-6 with bladder dysfunction and urogenital...

Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the negative effects of delayed motherhood on an offspring's morbidity later in life. However, these hypotheses are not supported by clinical and epidemiological evidence. Because advanced maternal age is associated with increased risk of obstetric complications, the aim of the present study was to ascertain whether the negative effects on offspr...

The purpose of this study is to identify prevalent motherhood ideologies and myths in contemporary women’s magazines. The results indicate that contemporary magazines promote a traditional motherhood ideology, yet perpetuate motherhood myths that undermine mothers who stay home. Traditional motherhood, which excludes Women of Color and employed mothers, is promoted. Mothers are almost exclusive...

Recent studies have documented substantial penalties associated with motherhood and suggest that discrimination plays an important role in producing them. In this article, I argue that the degree to which motherhood is conceptualized as a choice affects the penalties associated with making this choice. Two methods are employed to evaluate this argument. The first method is an analysis of state ...

PURPOSE Becoming a mother is related to increased demands for women with type 1 diabetes mellitus, and more research is needed to identify their needs for support in everyday living. Thus, the aim of this study was to explore the main concerns in daily life in early motherhood for women with type 1 diabetes and how they deal with these concerns. METHOD A grounded theory study was conducted in...

INTRODUCTION The maternal experience of having a young infant is often viewed through a negative lens focused on psychological distress due, in part, to a historical focus on identifying threats to prenatal, perinatal and postpartum well-being of women and infants. This report examines maternal appraisal of both positive and negative experiences during and after pregnancy and introduces a new s...