THE BELLY MOMMY AND FETUS SITTER

Reproductive Stratification: Reproduction is influenced by race, class, and gender, affecting access to reproductive rights and technologies.

Biopower: The enforcement of biopower throughout history indicates control over reproduction through social norms and healthcare practices.

Assisted Reproduction: Often legitimized for heterosexual couples while challenging norms for non-traditional families, especially LGBTQ+ individuals.

Complex Relationships in Parenting: The birth of a child through surrogacy and egg donation creates intricate relationships, sometimes involving monetary transactions, but often rooted in personal connections.

Outsourcing Intimacy: The phenomenon where intimate life becomes intertwined with market transactions, raising questions about the commodification of personal relationships.

Market Influence on Family Creation: The intersection of marketplace and intimacy can both hinder and facilitate personal connections in family-building processes, with finances shaping interactions.

Family Dynamics: Relationships formed through surrogacy can expand rather than solely delegate familial roles, enriching intimate connections despite monetary elements.

Case Studies of Surrogacy: The narrator's experiences raising two children with unique birth stories illuminate the tensions and benefits of commercialized reproductive practices.

Legal and Social Challenges: Non-traditional families often face legal hurdles regarding parental rights, necessitating legal action to solidify family connections.

Emotional Labor and Attachment: Surrogates may develop emotional connections with the children they carry, complicating the perceived detachment often associated with commercial surrogacy.