You're Doing it Wrong!: Mothering, Media, and Medical Expertise

New mothers face a barrage of confounding decisions during the life-cycle of early motherhood, and Bethany L. Johnson and Margaret M. Quinlan's book investigates the storied history of mothering advice in the media. They find surprising parallels between todays mothering experts and their Victorian counterparts, but also explore how social media has placed unprecedented pressures on new mothers. The book provides a provocative look at historical and contemporary medical expertise during conception, pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum, and infant care stages.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 248 pages
Publication date: 30 April 2019
Publisher: Rutgers University Press

New mothers face a multitude of perplexing choices throughout the early motherhood journey, encompassing dietary modifications, mindset shifts, exercise routines, and decisions regarding birth location. Regardless of their choices, they are bombarded with medical advice from health practitioners and social media influencers, suggesting that they are making errors. Bethany L. Johnson and Margaret M. Quinlan, as intersectional feminists with two young children each, draw from their personal experiences and anecdotes collected from a diverse range of caretakers.

In their book, Youre Doing it Wrong!: The Troubled History of Mothering Advice in the Media, Johnson and Quinlan delve into the rich history of mothering advice in various forms of media, spanning from nineteenth-century newspapers, magazines, doctors' records, and personal papers to contemporary websites, Facebook groups, and Instagram feeds. They uncover surprising similarities between the mothering experts of the past and the contemporary ones, while also exploring the unique pressures faced by new mothers in the age of social media. The authors examine the contentious construction of prenatal and baby care expertise, as individuals from medical professionals to experienced moms compete to establish their authority in the public sphere.

The book delves into potential health crises that arise during conception, pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum, and infant care stages, providing a thought-provoking examination of historical and contemporary medical expertise. It challenges the notion that there is a singular "right" way to mother and encourages new mothers to embrace their individuality and make informed decisions based on their own needs and circumstances. By examining the evolution of mothering advice and its impact on new mothers, Youre Doing it Wrong! offers valuable insights into the complexities of early motherhood and the importance of seeking support and empowerment.

Weight: 382g
Dimension: 224 x 153 x 17 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780813593784