A MOTHER’S

LOVE
Lauren Prentice
Introduction To Topic

■ As a Mother myself I had felt a loss of identity and a sense that although I was thrilled to be a
Mum that after some time I also wanted to find Me again. I had gained a new kind of love but
also felt a loss of the old me, I wanted to get some balance back.

■ When I thought deeper into this I wanted to see if this was a common theme for first time
Mother’s and how other’s were or weren’t affected.
■ Taking a look at the losses and gains when becoming a Mother, she may gain something so
great e.g. her child, but feel she has lost parts of herself too.
■ How child bonds can change and alter your identity.
■ Thought’s on Motherhood before becoming a Mother and how that differs after having a child.
AIMS AND PURPOSE
■ Questioning how the new role of motherhood affect a woman’s identity?

■ Exploring a woman’s identity once she becomes a mother.

■ Exploring the particular bond between mother and baby.

■ Looking at how a Mother’s identity and how child bonding could affect the relationship within yourself

■ Finds a new love like she’s never known before. (Looking at the gains instead of loss)

■ Changes dynamics of existing relationships.

■ When women become a mother…feel like they have lost a part of their identity

■ Even though you have a clear purpose, you have lost the other part of yourself.

■ Do other people feel the same? Even though motherhood is good.

■ Is this something just affecting single mothers? Even with a partner, women may feel they have lost themselves as they have to look after baby.

■ Post-natal depression: anxiety and pressure to bond.

■ External pressure to have the perfect birth and connection experience. Can lead to early sense of failure right at the start of parenthood.
LITERATURE REVIEW

■  Photographers

■ Sally Mann: known for images of family. Exploring relationships within family. Her father allowed her to be
free and do her own thing as a child and this is apparent in her work. 

■ Ana Casas Broda

■ Sian Davey (podcasts also)

■ Book/ Exhibition- Home Truths: Photography and Motherhood, with my own experiences

■ Book- Representations of Motherhood- Donna Bassin, Honey and KaplanRelationships parent/child

■ Identity
 Sally Mann image analysis
on bonding/ love
In this image I can see a clear bond between the
Mother and Daughter, the Mother looks tired from
pregnancy, the way she has used the sink to hold her
up and looking upwards as if she is taking a moment
and just standing for some time to take a breather. Her
Daughter lovingly holding her Mother with her arms
wrapped gently over her neck as if she is saying
"don't worry Mum i've got you", and almost looking
slightly worried maybe a little fearful about what her
Mother is going to soon intel and a feeling of
empathy towards her as if she can feel to some extent
the emotions her Mother may be feeling, she is taking
some of her Mother's emotional weight and putting it
onto herself. The daughter's leg entwinning with her
Sally Mann Mother's, locking her foot in, another sign of support.
Untitled from the "At Twelve" Series
The Mother's expression seemingly giving off  a
sense that her daughter has given her exactly what she
needed in that moment, support and love, emotionally
and physically.  
Ana Casas Broda

Ana struggled to have children and had to have

numerous fertility treatments, when she did
become a Mother it brought back
uncomfortable memories of her own childhood
but also pushed her into a therapy by using her
photography as an outlet. This pushed her to
heal from the past and transformed her own
identity from the suffering post partum
depression into a new healed version of herself.
Representations Of Motherhood Book

■ Talks about the Mother being a person in her own right

■ The importance of seeing the Mother as a subject
■ The capacity to be alone
■ Being aloud to dislike your child at times without doing anything about it which gives
rise to the maternal nature we are seen to must have.
Home Truths: Photography and Motherhood book

■ Joys and sorrows

■ Chaos
■ Expectations of a Mother
■ A Mother’s identity
■ Bond between the Mother and child
 METHODOLOGY

■ Questionnaire to about 20 mothers including single and those in relationships.

■ Hope to find out whether the loss of identity after giving birth is a common experience and
whether this is an issue that affects just single parents.

■ Semi-structured interview

■ Will get qualitative data ie. More in-depth information based on questionnaires…the story
behind the answers.

■ Mothers for questionnaire. Friends and contacts.

■ In-depth interview chosen from relevant questionnaires

Questionnaire
 ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS

Consent Form

Covering Letter
Analysis Of Questionnaire Findings

■ Is there an issue around identity?

■ Look for correlations e.g. late bonding and loss of identity

■ Is this an issue that affects all mothers irrespective of relationship status?

■ Did the relationship with the other parent affect aspects of identity or bonding?

■ Could post natal depression have a bigger impact on identity, or is part of the depression
because of the loss of identity?
Discovered So Far

■ Issues around identity seem to be a common theme.

■ Media and outside influences put pressure on Mother’s and creates guilt leading them to
feel like they are never doing enough.
■ Wanting to find parts of the old you again and having some independence back but
feeling guilty for taking time out.