Att vänta barn : litteratur för gravida från 1943 till 1981

Sammanfattning: In our time we can easily get information about pregnancy from books and magazines of thesubject. Mothers to be can also publish their own diaries at the Internet, so anyone can readabout their personal experience of being pregnant. All this information gives pregnant womenideas of what they can expect to experience during the pregnancy. This made me think aboutwhat kind of image, women in the past, did get from literature that described pregnancy.The purpose of this study was to examine how pregnancy and pregnant women has beendescribed in literature during the period 1940-1980. I have used various kinds of books aboutpregnancy released in: 1943, 1948, 1955, 1965,1969,1972, 1977, 1981. By examining alonger period it would be possible to see changes over time. The method used is closereading, to find answers to the questions put to the text. The questions I have used, are relatedto women's living conditions, and to the pregnancy, both the physical and the psychologicalaspects of it.The result of my study shows that no sudden changes has taken place during the period. Thereare few changes in how the literature advice women to live during pregnancy. The pregnancy,as a fysiological process, is described in almost the same way. But the way women can feelduring the pregnancy, especially negative feelings, gives more attention over time. Moststriking are the changes regarding the role of mothers and fathers. In the end of the period theliterature gives more attention to the father and his role gets more important. And the womanis not expected to have that natural instinct that’s makes her a mother. She becomes onethrough the interaction with her child.