Many women experience some level of the blues or depression after pregnancy. How many women experience these feelings? Is this a cultural phenomenon? Why might women experience such feelings?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

According to the textbook, up to 70% of new mothers experience feelings that could be
described as the "blues," or in some cases, depression. These feelings do not seem to
be a cultural phenomenon as much as a more natural side effect to all of the changes
that accompany the birth process, which can be a highly emotionally charged event.
This is true whether the child was a wanted child or not. Mothers who deliver
premature babies, for example, report feelings of guilt. Along with this is the
psychological impact of thinking about the responsibility of raising a child. Most experts
suspect that a combination of psychological thoughts and physical changes (such as the
drop in estrogen levels) following pregnancy explain why these feelings are so
common. A smaller number of women (one in 5 to 10) experience the more severe
state of postpartum depression (PPD) and even fewer (one in 500 to 1,000) experience
postpartum mood episodes accompanied by psychotic features.