ABSTRACT
The fetus throughout pregnancy is afforded a powerful role in influencing women’s choices, decision and events. Despite the dependant status of the fetus up to the point of delivery, which women clearly recognise, personhood is conferred on the fetus particularly with regard to labour narratives where it is ascribed a very active role in determining events. Pregnancy has seen the role played by the fetus in creating mothers and the dichotomous good mother/bad mother identity as women take on characteristics of the mothering role. The birth of the baby formally facilitates societal and personal recognition of the woman as a real mother. The fetus during pregnancy, compelled women to aspire to a good mother identity, depicted by ideologies of mothering. Women’s early post-delivery narratives suggest that their mothering, although aspiring to the same ideology, takes on a different content from that apparent in pregnancy.
