ABSTRACT
The Maternity Center Association (MCA), located in New York City, had been dedicated to the cause of maternal and infant health since its founding in 1918. The MCA's holiday campaigns sought to fundamentally change how American society viewed, experienced, and even celebrated motherhood. In 1934, Good Housekeeping formally joined the MCA's Mother's Day campaign but with some reservations. The boundaries that Good Housekeeping's endorsement placed on its campaigns, not just in the soft censorship of the campaign's candid discussion of maternity, but also with its sometimes uncompromising assault on the traditional Mother's Day celebration. The MCA ceased its national Mother's Day campaigns in the 1940s, although it continued to serve as an important advocate for quality maternity care and the training of professional nurse-midwives. Moreover, it effectively attempted to shame the American public for wanting to show their appreciation for individual mothers with flowers and greeting cards instead of supporting community activism in the name of all mothers.
