Shifting perceptions of expert knowledge: transition to motherhood

In all societies reproduction and childbirth are more than a biological event: they are shaped by the cultures in which they are experienced. In post-industrialized societies transition to motherhood involves women in interactions with experts and normative practices as professional management, screening and monitoring increasingly become features of caring for women becoming mothers. At the same time, women's experiences of transition to motherhood are mediated through interactions with professionals and expert bodies of knowledge. The implications of this are that women's expectations of who provides support and who is the expert around childbearing shift as transition is experienced. In this paper, data from a qualitative study is used to focus on women's narrative accounts of first-time motherhood and the shifts that occur in perceptions of expert knowledge as experiences of transition unfold. The findings of this research demonstrate the difficulties of matching formal care to individual needs whether in relation to information giving in the antenatal period or support in the early postnatal period.