Hello, Baby! Goodbye, Me

Understanding Postpartum Depression, Identity Loss, and the Grief of New Parenthood

In the current landscape of mental health, Postpartum Depression (PPD) no longer maintains the same social stigma that plagued our society in years past. Once relegated to whispered discussions between medical professionals or hushed conversations with close female relatives, nowadays the topic is not o -limits. Brooke Shields, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Mariah Carey, and Adele are just a handful of notable public gures who have publicly documented their very personal experiences with PPD, openly detailing their struggles to the world. But although a diagnosis of PPD no longer carries the same weight of shame in our culture, much is missing when it comes to understanding what causes it and, most importantly, what we can do to treat it properly or perhaps prevent it from ever happening.

According to medical literature, PPD is more intense and lasts longer than the typical “baby blues” a new mother can expect to go through a er giving birth. It is caused by a combination of hormonal changes, physical trauma, exhaustion, and psychiatric history (a person with a history of mood disorders is always more at risk of developing them in the future). The mother’s ability to cope with environmental changes and bond with her newborn is seriously compromised. But the problem with characterizing diseases solely on the medical model is that emotional, psychological, and spiritual aspects of life are discounted or sometimes completely ignored. This sense of self that goes beyond our physical forms, what the mental health community might term “personhood,” overwhelmingly contributes to a human’s overall sense of well-being.

Unfortunately, outside of feminist and mental health communities, the notion of personal identity is not o en discussed when it comes to women’s health and has only very recently been taken seriously in reproductive medicine. Interestingly, some of the most compelling evidence of PPD’s environmental component is the fact that it is not unique to women; according to recent numbers obtained by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), 1 in 10 fathers su er from PPD, compared to 1 out of every 7 mothers. While this may seem surprising, consider that prior to birthing a baby, many parents have a more solidi ed sense of personal identity: they have jobs, friends, hobbies, and goals that are outside of the realm of child-rearing. When a baby is born, the goals change, priorities shi , and some may even be abandoned; daily activities are altered, perhaps forever. Navigating these changes can be disorienting to new parents and o en manifests as a profound sense of grief and loss that is di cult to express in words.

In addition to the social, emotional, and behavioral components of PPD, it may also be helpful to look at cultural factors to understand the impact giving birth has on personal identity. In her article on the topic, Dr. Kathleen Kendall-Tacke explores the concept of how other cultures protect new mothers’ health. She notes several common protective structures in areas of the world where PPD is either extremely low or completely unheard of, including recognizing a distinct postpartum period, protecting the new mother’s vulnerability, mandated rest, and perhaps most notably missing from our own country, functional assistance, and positive social recognition of the mother’s new role and status.

Consider, for example, the Chagga ritual for new mothers in Uganda, which takes place a er three months of secluded postnatal care from female relatives and involves the elders of the community bestowing ritual gi s and greeting her in the marketplace with the same songs used to welcome warriors returning from ba le. In comparison, the U.S. standard of postnatal care includes a 24-48-hour stint in the hospital and one 6-week postnatal visit, with nothing in between. When compared to a community that honors mothers as they do soldiers, it makes the U.S. standard of postnatal care seem painfully irreverent.

The grief involved in PPD could potentially stem from this loss of the former self. The clinicians at Chasing Clarity (and e ective mental health therapists elsewhere) endeavor to reach beyond the medical model and approach life’s struggles from a more holistic viewpoint. Beyond the physical symptoms and basic uncomfortable experience of pain and su ering, we must ask, what is going on beneath the surface? What spiritual growth might this person’s soul be yearning for? What is the state of this person’s sense of identity? Do they have a support system that honors this new transition? Looking at PPD through the lens of a personal identity shi lets us consider the impact of motherhood beyond hormonal and physical changes. By honoring the whole self in this way, we may begin the journey to validate grief, reconcile a new, integrated sense of personal identity, restore self-worth, and ultimately nd true healing.

Bio:

Lauren Roth, M.A. is a psychometrist with over a decade of clinical experience specializing in neurodegenerative disorders. She has a graduate degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida and enjoys advocating for the elderly community to prevent memory loss, promote healthy aging practices and improve overall quality of life. To learn more about K2 Medical Research visit their website: k2med.com.

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