Some societal and historical scientific considerations regarding the mother-fetus relationship and parenthood

摘要

Pregnancy includes the mother-fetus relationship, the father-fetus relationship and the transition to parenthood; it is an important phase in the life of the couple. However, pregnancy cannot be studied in isolation as influences from society and science and their interaction need to be taken into account. To begin with, some societal considerations on the maternal-fetal relationship and the transition to motherhood are described, namely, in what way ideas about the Right Way to mother and societal ambivalence regarding motherhood/parenthood may influence the experience of being pregnant and becoming/being a parent. Next, looking back over 100 years of study of fetal behaviour gives rise to questions such as what was/is the right time to ask/answer scientific questions about fetal behaviour and whether maternal emotions can affect the fetus? We conclude that although significant progress has been made in the study of fetal psychology, much basic empirical work still needs to be done before we have a more complete understanding of the complex interactions between the pregnant woman and her fetus. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.