Becoming a mother is something that many women will do, and also one of the most profoundly transformative things that a woman can do. And it is shrouded in mystique, overlapping layers of folk wisdom from the world's deep cultural heritage, a surprisingly shallow pool of scientific advice (pregnant women are understudied for reasons relating to institutional sexism and the extra IRB review layers in place to protect them), and a million morally charged 'proper motherhood' lifestyle consultants.

Garbes uses her own pregnancy as a lens to understand the motherhood-industrial complex. The way that her body changed, the ways in which she was supported and let down by her medical partners, and the fraught experience of her friends. Garbes has a day job as a journalist, which helps her make sense of the latest research about the physiological changes of pregnancy, and the importance of emotional support.

The feminist lens is used to frame the subjectivity and multiplicity of pregnancy. There are few universes, except that this is a moment of supreme change. There will be joy, and sorrow, and expectations that cannot possibly be met, but the mother's needs should be central to the journey.