How to mum
New Zealand Listener|September 09-15 2023
Mother of three Lucy Jones examines the myths and preconceptions surrounding childbirth and parenthood.
ELEANOR DE JONG
How to mum

In this unflinching look at modern-day motherhood, British journalist Lucy Jones methodically examines the journey women make from single entities to pregnancy, birth and motherhood - matrescence.

Jones, previously the author of Losing Eden, an account of why humans psychologically and emotionally need nature, argues that the maternal phase of life should gain the same recognition and status as adolescence, comparable as it is in the awesome physical, biological and psychological changes a woman undergoes.

She weaves in her own experience - she had three children close together in age - with the latest research on pregnancy and motherhood. But Jones's own matrescence was marked by acute anxiety and postnatal depression.

She had no pain relief beyond gas at all three births, instead choosing motivational tapes, breathing exercises and hypno-assistance. The pain of her labours sets the tone for the book, and her shocks continue to mount at the "hidden" secrets of motherhood (sleepless nights, postnatal depression, difficulty breastfeeding).

"The pain was, again, extraordinary," Jones writes of her second labour at home. "This labour was a tundra, cold and hostile. Towards the end, the pain became hot and fiery, as if my body was filled with waves of lava."

This story is from the September 09-15 2023 edition of New Zealand Listener.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the September 09-15 2023 edition of New Zealand Listener.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM NEW ZEALAND LISTENERView All
First-world problem
New Zealand Listener

First-world problem

Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Applying intelligence to AI
New Zealand Listener

Applying intelligence to AI

I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Nazism rears its head
New Zealand Listener

Nazism rears its head

Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Staying ahead of the game
New Zealand Listener

Staying ahead of the game

Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?

time-read
4 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Grasping the nettle
New Zealand Listener

Grasping the nettle

Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Hangry? Eat breakfast
New Zealand Listener

Hangry? Eat breakfast

People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Chemical reaction
New Zealand Listener

Chemical reaction

Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.

time-read
4 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Me and my guitar
New Zealand Listener

Me and my guitar

Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Time is on my side
New Zealand Listener

Time is on my side

Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?

time-read
7 mins  |
September 9, 2024
The kids are not alright
New Zealand Listener

The kids are not alright

Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.

time-read
4 mins  |
September 9, 2024