"Based on interviews conducted from before conception through to after the child's birth, this book maps out the social norms that shape experiences of new parenthood. It will equip those in gender studies, psychology, and sociology with a detailed understanding of what it means for heterosexual couples to become parents"--

Damien W. Riggs is a Professor of Psychology at Flinders University, Australia. He is also a Fellow of the Australian Psychological Society and a psychotherapist who specialises in work with trans children. He has authored more than twenty books, including Diverse Pathways to Parenthood: From Narratives to Practice (2020).

1. Introduction; 2. Undertaking a Qualitative Longitudinal research study with intending parents; 3. Motherhood moralities; 4. Birthing experiences; 5. Emotion work in the transition to motherhood; 6. Development of a parental identity; 7. Views about having more children; 8. Changes in the couple relationship over time; 9. Grandparents navigating shifts in relationships and identity; 10. Reflecting on the study findings and experience.