‘Holistic Mothers’ or ‘Bad Mothers’? Challenging Biomedical Models of the Body in Portugal

Abstract

This paper is based on early fieldwork findings on 'holistic mothering' in contemporary Portugal. I use holistic mothering as an umbrella term to cover different mothering choices, which are rooted in the assumption that pregnancy, childbirth and early childhood are important spiritual occasions for both mother and child. Considering that little social scientific literature exists about the religious dimension of alternative mothering choices, I present here a first description of this phenomenon and offer some initial anthropological reflections, paying special attention to the influence of Goddess spirituality on holistic mothers. Drawing on Pamela Klassen's ethnography about religion and home birth in America (2001), I argue that in Portugal holistic mothers are challenging biomedical models of the body, asking for a more woman-centred care, and contributing to the process, already widespread in certain other European countries, of 'humanising' pregnancy and childbirth.

When homebirth “goes wrong”: holistic mothers who end up giving birth in a Portuguese hospital

“…In this text I use "wholistic" when referring to the kind of model proposed by Davis-Floyd (2003[1992) that influenced my informants. At the same time, I refer to the women I met during fieldwork as "holistic" mothers to remain consistent with other works I have published on this topic (Fedele 2016;Fedele and Pasche Guignard 2018).…”

“…THIS IS HOW A PORTUGUESE WOMAN IN HER EARLY 30S WITH A BA in anthropology described her experience of birthing her first child at home. Her words, shared during the seminar that gave rise to this dossier (see Fedele and White, this volume), exemplify the worldview of holistic mothers (Fedele 2016) in Portugal and, in particular, their conceptualization of birth as an important rite of passage for women. I use "holistic mothering" as an umbrella term to describe different mothering choices that are rooted in the assumption that pregnancy, childbirth and early childhood are of crucial importance to the child's development as well as to the wellbeing of the mother, and that there is a spiritual dimension to both pregnancy and mothering.…”

“…Treatments include the use of anthroposophical remedies, counseling, massage and exercise (Zander 2008(Zander , 2011. See Fedele (2016) for more details about holistic mothers and anthroposophical medicine.…”

“…References to this holistic approach emerged, for instance, when discussing with mothers the importance their parenting choices had in ecological terms, or the influence that negative family patterns could have during pregnancy and birth. Most of my informants did not describe themselves as holistic mothers though, and preferred in general to avoid labels; however, when I told them about the umbrella term I had chosen to describe them, they said they found it fitting (see also Fedele 2016).…”

“…Although, by rejecting hospital birth, holistic mothers refused to give away their power to doctors who did not recognize the natural authority of women during the birthing process, similar to Pamela Klassen's (2001) homebirthers in North America, they nonetheless carefully selected those biomedical theories and practices that gave them a feeling of safety and comfort (Fedele 2016). My informants also used some biomedical terms to describe their experiences of birth, and sometimes ventured comparisons with what might have happened had they chosen to give birth in a hospital (Chasteen Miller 2009).…”