The Motherhood Space

November 6, 2023
This touching coffee-table book by Nancarrow (The Birth Space), an Australian doula and mother of three, gathers reflections on the joys, sorrows, and sacrifices of motherhood. Nancarrow discusses feeling dismissed by obstetricians during her pregnancies, the loneliness she felt each time after giving birth, and how becoming a mother changed her relationship with her husband (“intimacy has become a knowing smile across our ransacked living room”). Stories from other mothers are by turns heartbreaking and uplifting; for instance, Kristy-Lea Brown describes how she coped after her baby died during labor, and journalist Melanie Dimmitt recounts how she learned to accept that her son, who was born with quadriplegic cerebral palsy, would likely never walk and that she should focus on helping him foster a fulfilling social life instead of pushing him through grueling and ineffective physical therapy. Elsewhere, Nancarrow touches on finding community with other mothers, the poignancy of watching children grow up, and the pain of postpartum depression, providing a multifaceted view of motherhood that’s elevated by her compassionate tone (“give yourself grace and continue to ask for help when you need it”) and tender photos of mothers with their children. Readers will be moved.