All culture is dominated by an ideal of motherhood which varies according to historical contexts. Presently, when the number of children per couple is decreasing in European and western societies, and births occur at older ages of the parents, the decision to have a child seems to be subject to greater demands and social pressures. At the same time, as naturalistic values increase its importance in the society, more demanding and complex becomes the experience of motherhood. This paper results from a post-doctoral research whose aim is to critically analyze the phenomena of neotraditionalism and naturalism associated to the experience of being a mother in the contemporary society. Based on interviews applied to mothers from Portugal and Spain, who support a more “natural” parenting model, this presentation will approach discourses and practices related to pregnancy and childbirth options, breastfeeding, co-sleeping, baby care, education, intensive motherhood, etc. More specifically, the proposal of this paper is to identify and problematize the main motivations, choices and constraints surrounding the ideal of naturalized motherhood, pointing out its effects on family lives and gender relations.

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