On Mothering Multiples: Complexities and Possibilities

by Kathy Mantas

Overview

Demeter Press took on the challenge of discussing multiples through On Mothering Multiples: Complexities and Possibilities, a book that promised to “(re)explore, (re)present, and make meaning of the process of conception, pregnancy, childbirth, and mothering experiences with multiples”. Under the editorship of Kathy Mantas, and through diverse contributions of research, artwork and narrative pieces, this topic is explored with diverse voices that elicit nuance towards a subject that often suffers from cliché and overt charm. Daring to taunt the reader who may be beguiled by the blessing of multiples with an unflinching look at subjects such as fetal demise, disability, post-partum depression, the beauty and the beast of the post-twin maternal body, and the society’s obsession and derision with multiples conceived through assistive reproductive technology, this book is a foundational text on the topic of the messiness of multiple births and mothering. This collection manages to be both intensely personal while maintaining the scholarly distance necessary to offer an important contribution to the field of motherhood studies as well as intersecting with grief work and disability studies. Published in 2016, this book remains provocative, and stealth in how it unfurls its wisdom, providing both clarity and further

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781926452784
Publisher:	Demeter Press
Publication date:	01/01/2016
Pages:	292
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Kathy Mantas, educator, artist-researcher and mother, is currently an Associate Professor of Education at Nipissing University in North Bay, Ontario. Her research interests include: life-long learning; teacher development, knowledge and identity; arts education; artful inquiry; creativity in teaching-learning contexts; holistic and wellness education; women’s health issues; motherhood and mothering studies.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements Foreword Lynda P. Haddon and Bonnie L. Schultz Opening Kathy Mantas Chapter One 'Why Should We Not be Depressed'? A Population at Risk, and Problems with Traditional Understandings of Multiple Motherhood Christie E. Bolch and Jane R. Fisher VISUAL INTERLUDE I Chapter Two A Glimpse into a Multiple Birth Mother's Life Bonnie L. Schultz Chapter Three You're So Lucky Suzanne Kamata Chapter Four A Triography of Polymaternity: Becoming Mamas to Triplets Abigail L. Palko Chapter Five Notes from the Night Owl Feed Kirsten Eve Beachy VISUAL INTERLUDE II Chapter Six art-i-facts: A Work in Progress Kathy Mantas Chapter Seven Congratulations and Condolences: Incorporating Burden, Love, and Community in Identifying as a Mom (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Twins) Erica Lucast Stonestreet Chapter Eight Surviving the Early Years: Parents of Multiples? Trials and Tribulations of Finding and Accessing Suitable and Affordable Childcare Jennifer Kelland and Rose Ricciardelli VISUAL INTERLUDE III Chapter Nine The Art of Twinning Victoria Team 177 Chapter Ten Queer Parenting and the Revelation of Twins Leslie Robertson and Kathryn Trevenen Chapter Eleven 'Side by Side, Always and Forever' Cathy Deschenes Chapter Twelve Tales of Survival from a Mother on the Edge: Listening to Love, Play, and Creativity Celeste Snowber Chapter Thirteen Naming the Planets Jessica Jennrich Chapter Fourteen Milkshake Lovers, Unite! Performing Infant Feeding: A Narrative of Theory and Practice Terri Hawkes Chapter Fifteen Embryonic Motherhood: Interrogating the Rhetoric of Infertility, Assisted Reproductive Technology, and Mothers of Multiples in Tabloid Culture Maria Novotny Closing Kathy Mantas About the Contributors Contact Info Inquiries: [e-mail] T: 289-383-0134 Bradford, Ontario, Canada Connect With Us

Editorial Reviews

This edited collection of narratives documents the sorrows, joys, fears and the complexities of intertwined emotions and realities involved in conceiving, birthing, parenting and caring for multiple babies. Each situation is well described and documented with care and compassion. The stories are candid, realistic and relevant; each confronting controversial issues and debunking myths with clarity and conviction. The authors have clearly come to understand themselves and to gain new insights as gendered social beings. They raise questions on the social construction of good mothering from various perspectives that provoke reader response as well. Sharon Abbey, Director, Centre of Adult Education and Community Outreach, Faculty of Education, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario As many parents would doubtless agree, going from one child to two more than doubles the workload and often completely changes the parenting experience. Parenting twins or triplets, however, brings an entirely different set of complications and considerations. On Mothering Multiples offers a diverse array of narrative, scholarly, and artistic contributions on the topic, individual entry points into what, for many of us, is a foreign experience. Rachel Epp Buller, author of Reconciling Art and Mothering On Mothering Multiples: Complexities and Possibilities is not a traditional 'guide' or 'how to' parenting book; rather, it offers reflections on some of the more challenging aspects and stages of mothering (and parenting) multiples and provides insight into some of the realities of those that conceive, give birth to and mother multiples. By attempting to cover topics and experiences that are often neglected in traditional multiple-birth literature, this collection of thought provoking, scholarly and creative articles makes a valuable contribution to the subject of mothering multiple-birth children. This book is a celebration of the array of complexities, possibilities and emotions involved in receiving the gift of multiple-birth children and of mothering multiples. Kimberley Weatherall, former Executive Director, Multiple Births Canada (MBC) / Naissances Multiple Canada, Board Member and Past Chair, International Council of Multiple Birth Organizations (ICOMBO)

From the Publisher