Changes have occurred within educational settings over the past 30 years, creating a more equal learning environment for women. Despite the fact that women aged 18-39 years now outnumber men within New Zealand universities, there is still evidence of inequality for pregnant university students.A qualitative case-study approach was used to explore and describe the stages and patterns of transition from being a university student to becoming a pregnant university student. Each woman demonstrated the complexity of the transitions. The pregnant body and becoming visible were factors that impacted on all five women who participated in this study. The case studies describe how pregnancy intervened in the experience of being a student.Various coping mechanisms were employed by these pregnant university students. The research suggests that they find balance through compartmentalizing aspects of their lives. They attribute educational and personal outcomes to luck. These strategies have enabled these women to aim for educational or personal success. Yet it remains clear that the university does not provide adequate support for these pregnant university students. Policies and resources need to be established to aid pregnant university students in this process of transition.

Changes have occurred within educational settings over the past 30 years, creating a more equal learning environment for women. Despite the fact that women aged 18-39 years now outnumber men within New Zealand universities, there is still evidence of inequality for pregnant university students.A qualitative case-study approach was used to explore and describe the stages and patterns of transition from being a university student to becoming a pregnant university student. Each woman demonstrated the complexity of the transitions. The pregnant body and becoming visible were factors that impacted on all five women who participated in this study. The case studies describe how pregnancy intervened in the experience of being a student.Various coping mechanisms were employed by these pregnant university students. The research suggests that they find balance through compartmentalizing aspects of their lives. They attribute educational and personal outcomes to luck. These strategies have enabled these women to aim for educational or personal success. Yet it remains clear that the university does not provide adequate support for these pregnant university students. Policies and resources need to be established to aid pregnant university students in this process of transition.

A presente pesquisa inscreve-se nos campos dos Estudos de Gênero e dos Estudos Culturais que se aproximam das teorizações pós-estruturalistas, em especial, das de Michel Foucault. Com esse referencial teórico-metodológico, discuto alguns dos modos pelos quais diferentes discursos, da medicina à educação física, investem sobre o corpo grávido, argumentando que esse processo educativo pode ser compreendido como uma dimensão importante de um processo contemporâneo mais amplo que temos definido como “politização do feminino e da maternidade”. Para fazer essa discussão, examino a revista Pais e Filhos, no período de 1968 a 2004, utilizando-me das estratégias metodológicas da análise de discurso. A partir da Pais e Filhos busco investigar, de modo mais específico, como o discurso das práticas corporais governa e regula os corpos grávidos, perguntando-me, ainda: de que modo esse discurso colabora/concorre com o processo da politização contemporânea dos corpos grávidos? Trato de mostrar que as práticas corporais alternativas, esportivas e de fitness, na revista, se constituem como elementos importantes de um discurso de “cuidado de si”, sobretudo ao produzirem diferentes posições de sujeito de mãe cuidadosa (aquela que cuida e se cuida), carinhosa, flexível, preparada, atlética, participativa, resistente, forte e sensual. / The present research is inscribed in the field of Gender Studies and Cultural Studies that approximate to post-structuralist theorizations, especially those of Michel Foucault. From this theoretical-methodological reference, I have discussed some of the ways that different discourses, from medicine to physical education, have invested on the pregnant body, arguing that this educative process may be understood as an important dimension of a wider contemporary process that has been defined as “politicization of feminine and motherhood”. To carry out this discussion, I have examined Pais & Filhos magazine, published from 1968 to 2004, using methodological strategies of discourse analysis. From Pais & Filhos, I have attempted to investigate more specifically how the discourse of body practices has governed and ruled pregnant bodies, also wondering in which way this discourse has collaborated to the process of contemporary politicization of pregnant bodies. I have attempted to show that alternative, sports and fitness body practices, in the magazine, have been constituted as important elements of a “self-care” discourse, mainly when they produce different positions of a caring mother-subject (that one that takes care of others and of herself), affective, flexible, prepared, athletic, participative, resistant, strong and sexy.

A presente pesquisa inscreve-se nos campos dos Estudos de Gênero e dos Estudos Culturais que se aproximam das teorizações pós-estruturalistas, em especial, das de Michel Foucault. Com esse referencial teórico-metodológico, discuto alguns dos modos pelos quais diferentes discursos, da medicina à educação física, investem sobre o corpo grávido, argumentando que esse processo educativo pode ser compreendido como uma dimensão importante de um processo contemporâneo mais amplo que temos definido como “politização do feminino e da maternidade”. Para fazer essa discussão, examino a revista Pais e Filhos, no período de 1968 a 2004, utilizando-me das estratégias metodológicas da análise de discurso. A partir da Pais e Filhos busco investigar, de modo mais específico, como o discurso das práticas corporais governa e regula os corpos grávidos, perguntando-me, ainda: de que modo esse discurso colabora/concorre com o processo da politização contemporânea dos corpos grávidos? Trato de mostrar que as práticas corporais alternativas, esportivas e de fitness, na revista, se constituem como elementos importantes de um discurso de “cuidado de si”, sobretudo ao produzirem diferentes posições de sujeito de mãe cuidadosa (aquela que cuida e se cuida), carinhosa, flexível, preparada, atlética, participativa, resistente, forte e sensual. / The present research is inscribed in the field of Gender Studies and Cultural Studies that approximate to post-structuralist theorizations, especially those of Michel Foucault. From this theoretical-methodological reference, I have discussed some of the ways that different discourses, from medicine to physical education, have invested on the pregnant body, arguing that this educative process may be understood as an important dimension of a wider contemporary process that has been defined as “politicization of feminine and motherhood”. To carry out this discussion, I have examined Pais & Filhos magazine, published from 1968 to 2004, using methodological strategies of discourse analysis. From Pais & Filhos, I have attempted to investigate more specifically how the discourse of body practices has governed and ruled pregnant bodies, also wondering in which way this discourse has collaborated to the process of contemporary politicization of pregnant bodies. I have attempted to show that alternative, sports and fitness body practices, in the magazine, have been constituted as important elements of a “self-care” discourse, mainly when they produce different positions of a caring mother-subject (that one that takes care of others and of herself), affective, flexible, prepared, athletic, participative, resistant, strong and sexy.

A presente pesquisa inscreve-se nos campos dos Estudos de Gênero e dos Estudos Culturais que se aproximam das teorizações pós-estruturalistas, em especial, das de Michel Foucault. Com esse referencial teórico-metodológico, discuto alguns dos modos pelos quais diferentes discursos, da medicina à educação física, investem sobre o corpo grávido, argumentando que esse processo educativo pode ser compreendido como uma dimensão importante de um processo contemporâneo mais amplo que temos definido como “politização do feminino e da maternidade”. Para fazer essa discussão, examino a revista Pais e Filhos, no período de 1968 a 2004, utilizando-me das estratégias metodológicas da análise de discurso. A partir da Pais e Filhos busco investigar, de modo mais específico, como o discurso das práticas corporais governa e regula os corpos grávidos, perguntando-me, ainda: de que modo esse discurso colabora/concorre com o processo da politização contemporânea dos corpos grávidos? Trato de mostrar que as práticas corporais alternativas, esportivas e de fitness, na revista, se constituem como elementos importantes de um discurso de “cuidado de si”, sobretudo ao produzirem diferentes posições de sujeito de mãe cuidadosa (aquela que cuida e se cuida), carinhosa, flexível, preparada, atlética, participativa, resistente, forte e sensual. / The present research is inscribed in the field of Gender Studies and Cultural Studies that approximate to post-structuralist theorizations, especially those of Michel Foucault. From this theoretical-methodological reference, I have discussed some of the ways that different discourses, from medicine to physical education, have invested on the pregnant body, arguing that this educative process may be understood as an important dimension of a wider contemporary process that has been defined as “politicization of feminine and motherhood”. To carry out this discussion, I have examined Pais & Filhos magazine, published from 1968 to 2004, using methodological strategies of discourse analysis. From Pais & Filhos, I have attempted to investigate more specifically how the discourse of body practices has governed and ruled pregnant bodies, also wondering in which way this discourse has collaborated to the process of contemporary politicization of pregnant bodies. I have attempted to show that alternative, sports and fitness body practices, in the magazine, have been constituted as important elements of a “self-care” discourse, mainly when they produce different positions of a caring mother-subject (that one that takes care of others and of herself), affective, flexible, prepared, athletic, participative, resistant, strong and sexy.