Biotourist Performances: Doing Parenting during the Ultrasound

Kroløkke, Charlotte

doi:10.1080/10462937.2010.524708

Cited by 20 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…This work often refers to 'a foetus' as preexisting women's accounts, and onto which the description of 'baby' may or may not be applied. Authors explain, for example, how ultrasound imagery contributes to the "sentimentalisation of fetuses as babies" (Han, 2009: 280) or to the transformation of 'the foetus' into a family member (Kroløkke, 2011). The approach taken in this article, highlighting the fluidity of these beings over the course of pregnancy, as both person and object, present and absent, better accommodates ambivalent experiences of pregnancy loss, abortion, and maternal-foetal bonding, less often observed in existing work (but described by Gerber, 2002, Kimport, 2012, Schmied and Lupton, 2001).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Locating the foetal subject: Uncertain entities and foetal viability in accounts of first-time pregnancy

Ross

2016

Women's Studies International Forum

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Locating the foetal subject: Uncertain entities and foetal viability in accounts of first-time pregnancy

Ross

2016

Women's Studies International Forum

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“…Sociologists, anthropologist and cultural theorists have seen the rise of commercial ultrasound providers internationally as evidence of the commercialisation of pregnancy (Taylor , Gammeltoft and Nguyên ) and of the sociocultural significance of ultrasound (van Dijck ). Interactions in the scan rooms of private companies have been observed and described, noting the social processes that serve to make the sonographic imagery meaningful in the construction of the foetus as baby and in performances of parenting (Kroløkke , Roberts 2012b).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Why do women seek ultrasound scans from commercial providers during pregnancy?

Roberts

Griffiths

Verran

et al. 2015

Sociology Health & Illness

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(2015). 'Why women seek commercial ultrasound scans during pregnancy'. Sociology of Health and Illness 37(4): 594--609.Why do women seek ultrasound scans from commercial providers during pregnancy? AbstractThe commercial availability of ultrasound scans for pregnant women has been controversial yet little is known about why women make use of such services. This article reports on semi--structured interviews with women in the UK who have booked a commercial scan, focusing on the reasons women gave for booking commercially provided ultrasound during a low--risk pregnancy.Participants' reasons for booking a scan are presented in five categories: finding out the sex of the foetus, reassurance, seeing the baby, acquiring keepsakes and facilitating bonding. Our analysis demonstrates that women's reasons for booking commercial scans are often multiple and are shaped by experiences of antenatal care as well as powerful cultural discourses related to 'good' parenting and the use of technology in pregnancy. Sociological and public debate about the availability of commercial ultrasound and its social and personal impacts should consider the wider socio--cultural context that structures women's choices to make use of such services. (153)

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“…The father replies that they do not, but they would like to know: 'in order to buy things, clothes, etc.' Such remarks are today very common and go to show just how much medical imagery (Taylor 2000) or keepsake ultrasounds (Kroløkke 2011(Kroløkke , roberts 2012 have contributed, over the last thirty years, to make the period of pregnancy an opportunity for consumption in the name of the foetus and of the foetus per se. They also confirm preparedness before birth is a 'gendered affair' in more ways than one, even in families that Bourdieu (1980) categorizes as the cultivated middle class who wish to distance themselves from gender stereotypes, as described in recent french research (Samuel et al 2014(Samuel et al , rollet and pélage 2014(Samuel et al , pélage et al 2016.…”

Section: Preparing Gender While Preparing For the Gendermentioning

confidence: 99%

Our “Baby” on YouTube: The Gendered Life Stories of the Unborn

Pélage

2019

EJLW

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This study concerns the usage of foetal ultrasounds, more specifically those produced during the 5th month of pregnancy within the routine checks of any pregnancy in France. Interestingly, more and more parents are posting short films on YouTube of their baby-to-be using the medical images produced during such antenatal examinations. This study therefore analyses a set of 108 YouTube posts among the thousands available to understand the social implications of such posts on the unborn. Uncannily, it appears that these videos constitute not only the first pages of the biographies of a girl or a boy but also the autobiographical tales of a mother or father waiting for the birth of a daughter or son. The close reading of 31 archetypical videos reveals how those who post such videos see 5th-month ultrasound imagery as a means for them to prepare, not just for the birth of a child, but for the birth of a girl or a boy and simultaneously to prepare to become, not just parents, but the father or mother of a son or a daughter.

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Biotourist Performances: Doing Parenting during the Ultrasound

Cited by 20 publications

References 9 publications

Locating the foetal subject: Uncertain entities and foetal viability in accounts of first-time pregnancy

Locating the foetal subject: Uncertain entities and foetal viability in accounts of first-time pregnancy

Why do women seek ultrasound scans from commercial providers during pregnancy?

Our “Baby” on YouTube: The Gendered Life Stories of the Unborn

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