New mothers face a barrage of confounding decisions during the life-cycle of early motherhood which includes... Should they change their diet or mindset to conceive? Exercise while pregnant? Should they opt for a home birth or head for a hospital? Whatever they “choose,” they will be sure to find plenty of medical expertise from health practitioners to social media “influencers” telling them that they’re making a series of mistakes. As intersectional feminists with two small children each, Bethany L. Johnson and Margaret M. Quinlan draw from their own experiences as well as stories from a range of caretakers throughout.
 
You’re Doing it Wrong! investigates the storied history of mothering advice in the media, from the newspapers, magazines, doctors’ records and personal papers of the nineteenth-century to today’s websites, Facebook groups, and Instagram feeds. Johnson and Quinlan find surprising parallels between today’s mothering experts and their Victorian counterparts, but they also explore how social media has placed unprecedented pressures on new mothers, even while it may function as social support for some. They further examine the contentious construction of prenatal and baby care expertise itself, as individuals such as everyone from medical professionals to experienced moms have competed to have their expertise acknowledged in the public sphere.
 
Exploring potential health crises from infertility treatments to “better babies” milestones, You’re Doing it Wrong! provides a provocative look at historical and contemporary medical expertise during conception, pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum, and infant care stages.

Bethany L. Johnson is an instructor in history and an associate member to the graduate faculty and research affiliate faculty in the department of communication studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
 
Margaret M. Quinlan is a professor of communication studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

"[You're Doing it Wrong!] made me stop to think about the advice I give and the unsolicited advice I receive. Reading the book also made me more mindful of instances where I’ve judged someone else for the parenting decisions they’ve made."

The Weekly Ritual interview with Bethany Johnson and Margaret Quinlan 
 

“Through analyses of historical and contemporary cases, especially the careful study of social media and smart phone apps, Johnson and Quinlan raise important questions about expertise and power relations in defining the good mother.”

"How Social Media Influences Your Motherhood with Authors Bethany Johnson and Maggie Quinlan of You're Doing it Wrong!"
https://generationmom.lnk.to/Number1MomPodcastWE
 

"You're Doing it Wrong! (Not!!)" The Happy Student podcast interview with Margaret Quinlan 
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-happy-student/id1180759474

"Most importantly, [Johnson and Quinlan] dedicate chapters to health scares that parents often face—surrounding preconception, fertility, pregnancy and birth, the postpartum period, infant loss, and early childhood rearing—and discuss how related medical, technical, and nontraditional (what the authors term 'lay expert') advice is frequently contradictory and confusing. What it means to be a good mother may be less clear in a socially opinionated environment that offers varied levels of expert advice; however, the pressure to be a good mother is quite transparent. Recommended." 

"Motherhood Has Never Been More Complicated — Here’s How to Simplify It" by Laura Donovan

"This book is the perfect marriage of research, personal experiences, and interviews. It is well-written, thoughtful, relatable, and most importantly — enjoyable to read! I appreciated how inclusive the writing is. It will surely make you stop to think about the advice you give and the unsolicited advice you receive. We could all be a little more mindful and less judgmental."

"Johnson and Quinlan offer a superb analysis of historical and contemporary renderings of both the lay and expert advice mothers receive."

“Combining historical insights and of-the-minute analyses of social media platforms, Johnson and Quinlan persuasively argue for a rethinking of what we “know” about expertise and the often-fraught journey of early motherhood.”  

"An amazingly refreshing look back at how the medical advice given in relation to raising children has changed over the ages. It really helps to put everything into perspective, and makes you realize…we probably aren’t doing such a bad job after all!"

"You're Doing It Wrong!: Mothering, Media, and Medical Expertise is a rare mix of historical, sociological, and media analysis that sheds light on the processes by which motherhood gets defined. We get a glimpse of the historical underpinnings of our relationship with medical expertise, and how media outlets create cultural consensus about mothering (if they do)."