Motherhood offers a unique insight into what it is to be human: interdependence, sacrifice, love, care, hope and vulnerability (all of which are key to a Christian understanding of personhood). The work of motherhood has always been changed by technological advancement: from the nipple shield to the feeding bottle and breast pump. But as technological advancement accelerates and a future of artificial wombs and ‘bio bags’ does not seem as far-fetched as it once did, what of the humanity of motherhood might be lost if it is outsourced to machines?
Motherhood vs The Machine
Claim This Podcastby Theos
5.0(13 reviews)
5 episodes
Updated Daily
Accepts GuestsHas SponsorsLocation 🇬🇧
39
Podcast Authority
BetaPoorBased on show quality, social media presence, reviews, charts, and more
Quality59
Social0
YouTube0
Engagement51
Podcast Overview
Motherhood offers a unique insight into what it is to be human: interdependence, sacrifice, love, care, hope and vulnerability (all of which are key to a Christian understanding of personhood). The work of motherhood has always been changed by technological advancement: from the nipple shield to the feeding bottle and breast pump. But as technological advancement accelerates and a future of artificial wombs and ‘bio bags’ does not seem as far-fetched as it once did, what of the humanity of motherhood might be lost if it is outsourced to machines?
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
3/6/2025
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39
Podcast Authority
BetaPoorBased on show quality, social media presence, reviews, charts, and more
Quality59
Social0
YouTube0
Engagement51
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Recent Episodes
April 3, 2025
Death: Is grief an inevitable part of motherhood?
<p><strong>Warning: This episode includes discussion of stillbirths, pregnancy loss, miscarriage and death.</strong><strong> </strong></p><p> </p><p>In the final episode, Chine and Maddy explore what motherhood teaches us about loss, grief, change and death. What does a mother’s grief – even a mother’s fear of grief – reveal about what it means to be human? </p><p> </p><p>We explore the painful and difficult realities of stillbirth, pregnancy loss and the death of children after birth, as well as how parents deal with their own mortality. We look at both the potential and limitations of technology in saving premature babies’ lives, and ask how parents cope with the grief of life not turning out how they had hoped for their children, including anxiety about the climate and the state of the world. How does grief – about the climate or the loss of children – lead women into different forms of activism? We ask whether machines can help us grieve, or whether grief is an inevitable part of motherhood; and take a look at the most famous example of maternal loss: Mary, the mother of Jesus, who in the traditional Pieta imagery, cradles the dead body of her son. </p><p> </p><p><strong>Chapters:</strong></p><p>00:00:00 Navigating the Pain of Loss </p><p>00:02:56 The Impact of Pregnancy Loss </p><p>00:05:57 The Spiritual Dimension of Grief </p><p>00:08:59 Motherhood and Identity </p><p>00:12:05 The Journey of Healing </p><p>00:15:07 The Role of Technology in Parenthood </p><p>00:18:04 Grief and Hope in Parenthood </p><p>00:21:01 The Uniqueness of Each Loss </p><p>00:23:46 Coping with Maternal Grief </p><p>00:26:58 Finding Meaning in Loss </p><p>00:30:51 The Intersection of Grief and Love </p><p>00:40:03 Motherhood and Climate Activism </p><p>00:49:31 The Messiness of Motherhood and Loss </p><p> </p><p><strong>Featured in this episode: </strong></p><p>Dr Karen O’Donnell from the University of Cambridge, and author of The Dark Womb; Lizzie Harvey, head of content & communications at Theos; Professor Dominic Wilkinson, medical ethicist and neonatal intensive care doctor; Dr Sarah Apetrei of the University of Oxford and author of The Reformation of the Heart: Gender and Radical Theology in the English Revolution; Lorna Powell and Bongi Kellner from Mothers Rise Up. </p><p><br /></p><p><strong>The Team: </strong></p><p>🎙️ Hosts: Chine McDonald (@ChineMcDonald) and Madeleine Pennington (@mlmpennington) </p><p>🎬 Executive producer: Stephanie Tam </p><p>🎧 Audio editor and sound engineer: David Benjamin Blower </p><p>🎛️ Recording engineer and assistant producer: Daniel Turner </p><p>💡 Produced by the @thinktanktheos www.theosthinktank.co.uk/ </p>
March 27, 2025
Feeding: Could mothers be replaced by feeding machines?
<p>Breast is best, or best is fed? In this episode, we tackle one of the most controversial aspects of mothering: feeding. Everyone seems to have an opinion about it. But, as Maddy and Chine find out in this episode, debate about whether and how mothers feed their children has been going on for centuries – including Victorian prudishness about the Virgin Mary breastfeeding Jesus. </p><p>No matter how we feed our children, will there always be ways to shame women? Why is feeding often talked about in machine-like ways such as milk ‘production’ and ‘lactation’, and how is technological advancement such as developments in ‘biomilk’ going to transform feeding? </p><p>We talk to a range of experts to explore how mothers bear witness to something that society as a whole has forgotten – that we are part of nature, that our bodies require care and nourishment, that we are vulnerable and dependent, and also that the ways in which feeding opens a door intro transcendence. We explore theological ideas of feeding and what it tells us about Christian concepts of God, including 14th century mystic Julian of Norwich’s writing about ‘divine milk’.</p><p><br /></p><p><strong>Chapters</strong></p><p>00:00 The Centrality of Feeding in Motherhood</p><p>03:00 Motherhood vs. The Machine: A Broader Perspective</p><p>06:01 Personal Experiences with Feeding</p><p>09:11 Cultural and Historical Context of Feeding</p><p>11:59 The Role of Technology in Feeding</p><p>15:02 The Politics of Feeding: Societal Pressures and Judgments</p><p>20:38 The Politics of Motherhood and Responsibility</p><p>22:42 Cultural Perspectives on Breastfeeding</p><p>27:11 Maternal Imagery in Religious Contexts</p><p>34:15 Artistic Representations of Motherhood</p><p>43:01 Embodiment and Spirituality in Motherhood</p><p><br /></p><p><strong>Featured in this episode: </strong>Joanna Wolfarth, cultural historian and author of Milk: An Intimate History of Breastfeeding; theologian Rachel Muers, chair of divinity at the University of Edinburgh; the Very Rev Dominic Barrington, dean of York Minster; Rev Ayla Lepine, associate record at St James’s Piccadilly and former Ahmanson fellow in art and religion at the National Gallery; Dominic Barrington; medical ethicist and author Claire Gilbert, author of I, Julian.</p><p><br /></p><p><strong>Keywords</strong></p><p>motherhood, feeding, breastfeeding, cultural history, societal pressures, technology, maternal health, infant feeding, public policy, women's experiences, motherhood, breastfeeding, cultural perspectives, maternal imagery, spirituality, art, responsibility, societal norms, religious contexts, embodiment</p><p><br /></p><p><strong>The Team: </strong></p><p>🎙️ Hosts: Chine McDonald (@ChineMcDonald) and Madeleine Pennington (@mlmpennington) </p><p>🎬 Executive producer: Stephanie Tam </p><p>🎧 Audio editor and sound engineer: David Benjamin Blower </p><p>🎛️ Recording engineer and assistant producer: Daniel Turner</p>
March 20, 2025
Pregnancy & birthing: Could machines have our babies?
<p>Warning: This episode includes discussion of pregnancy and childbirth, including birth trauma and child loss.</p><p>Chine and Maddy go back to the beginning, and explore the physical and spiritual changes that takes place in pregnancy, and the embodied nature of giving birth. </p><p>How has something that is a universal human experience come to signify something alien and traumatic? How does becoming a mum alter the sense of individualism Western society pushes us towards, and open our eyes to interdependence? In a so-called post-religious age, have we lost some of the rituals that recognise the transition to motherhood as a transcendent, spiritual and existential experience? </p><p>We discuss the ways in which machines help women and their babies thrive; but as scientific advancement accelerates, how might the prospect of growing babies in artificial wombs or ‘bio-bags’ affect the place of mother and challenge our conceptions of what it really means to be human? </p><p><br></p><p><strong>Chapters</strong></p><p>00:00:00 Introduction to Motherhood vs. the Machine</p><p>00:03:11 Exploring the Complexity of Mothering Work</p><p>00:05:01 Personal Experiences of Pregnancy and Childbirth</p><p>00:11:20 Cultural Narratives and the Experience of Labor</p><p>00:17:49 The Role of Community and Support in Motherhood</p><p>00:23:21 Racial Inequality in Maternal Health</p><p>00:29:52 The Future of Pregnancy: Technology and Machines</p><p>00:38:11 The Transformative Nature of Motherhood</p><p>00:45:14 Conclusion and Reflection on Motherhood</p><p><br></p><p>Featured in this episode: Theologian Rachel Muers, chair of divinity at the University of Edinburgh; writer Mary Harrington, contributing editor of Unherd, and author of Feminism Against Progress; Lucy Jones, author of Matrescence: On the Metamorphosis of Pregnancy, Childbirth and Motherhood; Professor Dominic Wilkinson, medical ethicist and neonatal intensive care doctor</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Keywords</strong></p><p>motherhood, pregnancy, childbirth, technology, maternal health, cultural narratives, community support, racial inequality, personal experiences, future of pregnancy</p><p><br></p><p><strong>The Team</strong></p><p>🎙️ Hosts: Chine McDonald (@ChineMcDonald) and Madeleine Penninton (@mlmpennington)</p><p>🎬 Executive producer: Stephanie Tam</p><p>🎧 Audio editor and sound engineer: David Benjamin Blower</p><p>🎛️ Recording engineer and assistant producer: Daniel Turner </p><p>💡 Produced by the @thinktanktheos www.theosthinktank.co.uk/</p><p><br></p><p>With thanks to the Fetzer Institute</p>
5 total episodes available
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- What is Motherhood vs The Machine?
- How often does this podcast release new episodes?
This podcast updates daily.
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This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
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