There are few transitions in life more profound than becoming a parent. Out go late nights and long lie-ins. In comes responsibility. It is an experience that demands redefinition, turning you from cared-for to carer, solo player to team captain. Even as it approaches, you know it will change you.
This is the still point of the turning world that playwright Jess Brodie identifies: not the birth, but the moment before. A time to look back, reflect and reappraise as much as to speculate on the unknown path ahead.
Tenderly stroking an enormous belly, Ally has all the anxieties of the first-time mother-to-be: the uncomfortable nights, the avoidance of toxic foods, the clock-watching of maternity leave. She also has a sense of unfinished business. Still to work out her first identity, she is about to transform again – this time into somebody’s mum. [READ MORE]