Whether it is mood swings or motherly love during pregnancy – hormones often serve as the explanation and are identified as the cause of such phenomena. At the same time, the idea that negative emotions such as stress impair somatic processes is also widespread. In her historic analysis, Lisa Malich addresses the correlation between conceptions of emotions and models of the body for the first time. Using self-help literature and scientific texts on pregnancy from the late 18th century to today, she shows how processes of medicalization and gender hierarchies shape views on the feelings of pregnant women.
