Bringing new life into the world is no easy task. It begin with a woman experiencing months of endless hormonal changes, physical changes, and preparation for a complete lifestyle change. For many women, these changes are a surprise- regardless of the number of "What to Expect" books that she may read.
Without considering the vast changes a woman's internal system undergoes simply to prepare for the process of child birth, it is hard to understand the affect those changes may have on that woman postpartum. Postpartum depression affects 9-16% of new mothers. Though, the depression does not only affect that woman- it affects her entire family, especially her new baby. Without adequate emotional, language, and tactile stimulation, a child runs a very high at having developmental delays.
Working in a group care setting, I often come across mothers that seem as though they need a hand, or sometimes a break. I often wonder if this is simply a piece of their personality, or if it is a result of a metabolic imbalance accused by the changes from pregnancy.
Women in the Hmong culture follow several rituals postpartum in order to protect the mother's spiritual and emotional stability, resulting in a more prosperous future. One of these rituals includes hosting a major naming ceremony, 3 days after brith,within the family's community. By doing so, the child's spirit becomes real, and their journey as a human begins. This ceremony allows for a sense of relief in the fact that their child is not a person. Though postpartum depression is prevalent in countries such as Laos and Vietnam, new mothers follow cultural guidelines that have the ability to reduce their risk of weak mental health in early motherhood.
I have talk to many new mothers that experience postpartum depression and I think the issue is very serious and relevant in today's society. I think it's interesting to look at the ways other cultures treat illness, especially mental illness. The stress of being a new mother has to be something that is a huge adjustment emotionally. I decided to comment on access to safe water. Recently my hometown has experienced a chemical leak that has affected the water for 300,000 people. It is something that we are fortunate to have access to and sometimes it takes a disastrous situation to really help us see how fortunate we are in the United States.
ReplyDeleteHello Alyssa,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're up, running, and "blogging." Bringing in a new life is definitely no easy task. A mother has to be prepared mentally, physically, and financially to support the needs of the child. I enjoyed reading your blog, you reported very informative information.
Hi Alyssa,
ReplyDeleteyes bearing and giving birth to a child is not easy. The most challenging part for the mother is to raise and educate the child till they grow to 18 or become adult. Once you have the child, it is lifelong.
In places like Hongkong and China, there is not much support given to postpartum depression. Quite often, we always heard from the news that mother jumped off from the building together with the baby as they did not get the help after the delivery of the baby. A lot of time, being a new born mother, she might not know how to feed or even calm the baby. The most important support of postpartum depression must come from the partner. If the partner cannot be more understandable and supportive, it is very difficult for the society or others to help the mother. The same situation in China that there is not good enough support from the government, hospital or the voluntary associations to help the new born mother. It is sad and a pity.