Sharing bodies: the impact of the biomedical model of pregnancy on women's embodied experiences of the transition to motherhood.

This paper explores how a medicalized view of pregnancy shapes the process of pregnant embodiment and women's experiences postpartum. Analyzing interviews with 42 pregnant women and new mothers, I show that while women's experiences of pregnant embodiment are shaped by biomedical notions of pregnancy, women also bring new meaning to the biomedical guidelines. Women view pregnancy as a process of sharing their bodies with their children, and they continue to share their bodies with their newborns during the postpartum period. I conclude the paper by reflecting on the role of the body in shaping our understanding of medicalized phenomena.