The Other Mother: A wickedly honest parenting tale for every kind of family

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This book explains a lot more about her life than I knew. Yes, she's a mother of, as it happens, twin sons (now around 4 or 5 years old), but the meaning of the title is that she's a lesbian in a committed relationship, whose girlfriend was the bio-carrier of the boys, so Brister has always seen herself as their 'other' mother. The comedian Jen Brister talks about what it was like becoming a non-biological mum. She had twin boys with her partner Chloe four years ago after several rounds of IVF, and it was Chloe who gave birth. She talks about the reaction of friends and professionals, and what she felt like herself having babies in this way - experiences she has written about in her book The Other Mother. From the heartbreak of failed IVF and the often-uncomfortable realities of being pregnant with twins to the horrific truths about childbirth or in Chloe’s case caesarean sections, there is very little Jen Brister doesn’t cover in her account of becoming parents. A brand new comedy short, “Past Caring” written by Jen and Rosie Jones will be aired on SKY TV later this year.

Chamberlain, Julia; Bennett, Steve (1 January 2006). "Jen Brister: Me, My Mum & I". chortle.co.uk . Retrieved 28 May 2019. Jennifer Helen Brister (born 9 February 1975) is a British stand-up comedian, writer and actor from London. [1] Life and career [ edit ] Early life [ edit ]

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Brister was born in Kingston upon Thames, Greater London, in 1975 to an English father and a Spanish mother. She has three brothers. [2] Brister was raised as a Catholic [3] and went to all girls' Ursuline High School, Wimbledon. [4] She then went on to Richmond College. [5] Her Spanish-born mother is a frequent target of her comedy shows. [6] Stand-up career [ edit ] Another in our series about young people at risk of getting into trouble and the people trying to help them. At a busy private stables in rural Worcestershire Steph works with girls who have been excluded from mainstream education – they have been offered a Changing Lives Though Horses course run by the British Horse Society as alternative way of educating/reaching/calming them. Jo Morris met Steph and the riding teachers Dan and Karen there with Britney, Emma and Libby. I can't begin to imagine how hard it must be to raise twins, regardless of any other hurdles or added complications that may come with anyone's personal situation, whether that be through IVF conception or prematurity or parental disagreements. Quite frankly, this book has given me a deeper appreciation for not only the parents that I work with but also of literally any parent that I see pushing a pram down the high street.

Jen Brister’s writing is not only open and honest about her insecurities about being the ‘other’ mother but also about the insecurities and fears all parents can relate to. She delves deep into the struggles she and her partner have, particularly during pregnancy, childbirth and the early stages of bringing up the twins.

As a self-described ‘beige lesbian’, Jen Brister offers an insight into what it’s like being the ‘other’ mother in the relationship and the questions she often has to answer. She also goes some way to fill a gap in a growing group of parents who have a slightly different experience to heteronormative couples. From conceiving outside of the ‘norm’ to deciding what to call yourselves as parents (to avoid the confusions of children yelling mummy at two people), Jen Brister captures a snapshot of what parenting looks like in our modern society. Donaldson, Brian (26 October 2018). "My Comedy Hero: Jen Brister on Victoria Wood". list.co.uk . Retrieved 28 May 2019. I have always hated the idea of becoming a parent. The identity of motherhood is sometimes bound up with stereotypes of chatty boringness, a loss of self-identity, and continuous complaints. Those perceptions were challenged after reading Jen Brister’s The Other Mother.

Didn't know a lot about Jen Bristow before listening to this book. Knew she was funny, and am fairly sure I knew she had at least one son, having caught part of a set she did on Live At The Apollo. For what this is worth, also knew she was part of a group of comedians I instinctively like - a pal of Sara Pascoe, Sarah Millican, Suzi Ruffel and Jessica Fostekew. I never remember jokes. Saying that, my son told me a hilarious joke about a helicopter and some jelly … No, it’s gone.Despite her optimism about becoming a mother, Jen has to contend with being the “other one”, i.e. the non-biological mother of her children. She fears her twins not loving her as much as their biological mother and observes that she does not have the “glow” of a real mother like her partner. The descriptions of her eventual acceptance of this “otherness” makes the reader realise that temporary loss of identity is a confusion that everyone can sometimes have in life. Nevertheless, the book ends with temporary tranquillity in the characters’ motherhood. Motherhood is just an example of the mixed experiences life can bring, and you never know what comes next.