Life for a woman is never the same after she gives birth to a child because, even before the woman goes through labor, she has experienced the effects an unborn baby has on her body; a woman, the birth giver, changes the most because she loses something that has been a part of her body for nine months. During the time right after the birth, she suffers from separation. The predominant reason for this is because, during the pregnancy, the hormonal levels of a woman are often disrupted and confused. They increase and decrease frequently, yet soon finds an equilibrium while the baby grows inside the womb. After the birth, the hormone levels are trying to balance again, after the rises and falls due to pregnancy, which causes a woman’s emotions …show more content…
All women can see this, but only a few will speak up when they are aware of the situation. Oftentimes, they stay back and simply do as they are told; this happened frequently in the late 1800s. In “The Yellow Wallpaper,” oppression was seen frequently by the readers; they understood what the woman was experiencing was unfair and despicable, yet they could only read as the oppression destroyed the woman’s life. John did his best to heal his wife with the only knowledge he had, yet his knowledge was faulty and stood on very little factual information. He was not educated in post-partum depression; he considered her illness to be purely “a slight hysterical tendency” (486). When a woman suffered during this time period from an unexplainable illness, this was often a physician’s thought. The physician treated any unknown illness, including post-partum depression, as hysteria until he was proven otherwise. The narrator told her story as a first-person account of what happens when illness is not treated correctly; however, she suffers even more because the two men she is closest two are also physicians who believe they are in the right. She tells her story by explaining that she has no control over the situation or the treatment because of her predicament and her family. Because of her lack of control, and inability to be heard, along with John’s overpowering decisions, “The
Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s story, The Yellow Wallpaper, portrays the life and mind of a woman suffering from post-partum depression in the late eighteenth century. Gilman uses setting to strengthen the impact of her story by allowing the distant country mansion symbolize the loneliness of her narrator, Jane. Gilman also uses flat characters to enhance the depth of Jane’s thoughts; however, Gilman’s use of narrative technique impacts her story the most. In The Yellow Wallpaper, Charlotte Perkins Gilman uses interior monologue to add impact to Jane’s progression into insanity, to add insight into the relationships in the story, and to increase the depth of Jane’s connection with the yellow wallpaper it self.
On June 20, 2001 Andrea Yates shocked the nation when she drowned all five of her children in Texas. The press and the public speculated about what could cause a mother to murder her own children. Two words became a significant part of her legal team’s defense: “postpartum depression” (Cohen). A public dialogue was opened and the issue of postpartum depression saw a significant shift in awareness. This new era of enlightenment would be considerably different from the earlier history of post-partum depression and some of the shame that surrounded it. Beyond Andrea Yates, other women have increased the prominence of the mental disorder in the public’s eye, with some doing so with optimistic rather than damaging behavior. Yet, even with the increased awareness, there has not been a considerable change in the number of women treated for postpartum depression, which is still subject to many stigmas in today’s society. Despite this, much has altered in the how postpartum is viewed over the past decade and a half, which gives hope for a future where mothers will receive the full care and support they need to combat the disorder.
This article talked about dealing with women’s postpartum depression (PPD) in a spiritual way. Similar to Borra, C., Iacovou, M., & Sevilla, A’s article, the author also mentioned that the fluctuation of hormonal or chemical levels in women can be triggered by circumstances which include socioeconomic status, prior mental health history and their childbirth experiences such as if the mother had the experience of a traumatic delivery, preterm labor or difficulty in feeding. These factors not only influence on the well-being of the mother but also impact on the families, marriage and the lifelong health development of the child and their siblings.
The postpartum period is about going through change and transition from a woman to a new mother. This is a time where mothers restore muscle tone and connective tissue in the body after the birth of the baby. Although there is a dramatic change during the postpartum period, women’s body is nonetheless not fully stored to pre-pregnant physiology until about 6 months post-delivery (Osailan, 6). At this time, women need to receive special health and social support to prevent problems such as postpartum depression. During this period, culture plays a major role in the way a woman perceives and prepares for her birthing experience. In fact, the notions of birth and postnatal care vary considerably with cultural beliefs and traditional practices. Each culture has its own values, beliefs and practices related to pregnancy and birth (Osailan,1). In the United States, after a short hospital stay, moms and babies are sent home because it is expected for mothers to heal within 42 days after giving birth. Whereas in other societies like Mexico, the postpartum recovery is active long enough until the new mother is fully healed (Brenhouse). In the article, “Why Are America’s Postpartum Practices So Rough on New Mothers?” by Hilary Brenhouse, the author states, “With these rituals comes an acknowledgment, familial and federal, that the woman needs relief more at this time than at any other—especially if she has a career to return to—and that it takes weeks, sometimes months, to properly
Postpartum depression, which is the most prevalent of all maternal depressive disorders, is said to be the hidden epidemic of the 21st century. (1) Despite its high prevalence rate of 10-15% and increased incidence, postpartum depression often goes undetected, and thus untreated. (2) Nearly 50% of postpartum depression cases are untreated. As a result, these cases are put at a high risk of being exposed to the severe and progressive nature of their depressive disorder. (3) In other words, the health conditions of untreated postpartum depression cases worsen and progress to one of their utmost stages, and they are: postpartum obsessive compulsive disorder, postpartum panic disorder, postpartum post traumatic stress, and postpartum psychosis.
Unlike "the baby blues" which affects 70% to 80% of new mothers and does not require prompt medical attention due to its mild nature. Major Post Partum Depression attacks 10% of new mothers and is entirely a beast of a different nature, one that must be reckoned with. The most recent Post Partum case that has rightfully caused a media frenzy is the Andrea Yates case. Yates was the mother of five young children. This past summer Yates held each of her children in a bath tub full of water until their death. Yates had PPD.
Sadly, scenarios such as this with the hypothetical couple, Charlotte and Chandler, are all too familiar. After reading and reviewing this writing of the hypothetical couple, the likelihood that this baby is to become another statistic is very elevated. The unhealthy behaviors of the parents-to-be increase the risk of birth defect and even death for this baby. This baby is most likely an unplanned pregnancy for this young and unprepared couple. Charlotte and baby are most likely limited on decent healthcare because they reside in rural Mississippi. Since this young couple has been together for such a short period of time, their relationship risks not surviving. They are unsure if they want to marry. Charlotte would most likely fall in the forty
Although the three categorizations may be useful for the identification and possible treatment of the illness, there are hormonal, psychological, social and environmental aspects which can also contribute to psychiatric illness.
This is certainly a hard case with Doris, it seems she has a lot on her plate. The first thing I notice she has a history of growing up in a dysfunctional home environment with alcoholism. Very concern about rather this issue involved her, alcoholism is a troublesome addiction for the person and others close to them. Did this have an impact on the decision she made, first dropping out of high school and getting married young. The birth of her child after a short time of being married could have left her with postpartum depression, which is a complex mixture of emotional, physical, and behavior changes. I would suggest her to try some cognitive behavioral therapy for her mental health, this could enlighten her on why she is making inaccurate
Postpartum depression is a form of depression that occurs in new mother. Some symptoms include weight and appetite changes, feelings of hopelessness and sadness, sleep problems and loss of pleasure from daily activities. Some possible triggers include lack of sleep, feeling overwhelmed and stress. Women who have previously experienced depression may be more at risk. Fathers can also suffer from postpartum depression. Reduce your risk of postpartum depression by taking care of yourself during your pregnancy. Eat a proper diet, with plenty of whole grains, fruits, vegetables and lean proteins. Exercise when you feel up to it. Eliminate stress in your life. Learn deep breathing techniques, practice meditation or take up yoga. To help reduce the likelihood that postpartum depression will occur, establish a plan for reducing stress after the birth. The new responsibility of an infant may require you to lean on others for support. Plan how you will divide childcare responsibilities. For instance, you could take turns with the father to handle nighttime feeding. You could also ask family members to baby-sit once per week. Make sure plenty of people will be there to surround you and support you after the birth of your child, such as friends and family members. Consider joining a support group for new mothers. Financial difficulties may also cause stress after the baby is born. Before the birth, develop a financial strategy. You may have to cut back on your expenses. Ask other
DSM is diagnosed by a mental health care professional and physicians that careful evaluation the client for depression. The client will have to have more than sadness and a presence of depression. There will be a lot of information gather before the patient will be diagnosed with DSM. The patient will undergo a medical exam, a clinical interview and assessments and the diagnosed generally lies with a physician or a senior staff person, usually with a PhD.
There was a period throughout history when a woman, specifically, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, was criticized for “writing a feminist manifesto that argued a thesis that women’s economic dependency upon men stunted the growth of women- and even the entire human race “(Anthology). Modern times, have made it incredibly difficult to comprehend, how accepting the majority of society was in reverence to unequal rights. Throughout the late 1800’s and through the 1900’s, there were implausible restrictions placed upon women. However, these unequal rights were only designed to suppress women, African Americans, foreigners and basically anyone who wasn’t a phenotypical Caucasian male. These restraints
Jane is the narrator who suffers from postpartum depression, she recently had a child, but cannot take care of it due to the fact that she is sick. Her husband John controls her life and tells her what she can and can’t do. Her sister in law cleans the house they rented for over the summer and Mary is the one who takes care of the child. As the narrator loses touch with the outer world, she comes to a greater understanding of the inner reality of her life. She starts to go insane being in the room she is in the whole time and she can’t do nothing about because her husband is controlling what she has to do. Living in today’s world she can go to therapy and also go to marriage counselling or couples’ therapy to get help with her marriage.
Having a baby should be one of the happiest and most important events in a woman?s life. However, although life with a new baby can be both thrilling and rewarding, it can also be a difficult and quite stressful task. Most women make the transition without great difficulty, yet some women experience considerable complexity that may manifest itself as a postpartum psychiatric disorder (O?hara, Hoffman, Philips, & Wright, 1992). Many physical and emotional changes can occur to a woman during the time of her pregnancy as well as following the birth of her child. These particular changes can leave a new mother feeling sad, anxious, afraid and
With pregnancy comes happy times, but still10 to 15% of to be moms struggle with symptoms of depression. It affects more commonly those women who have a history of severe premenstrual syndrome, are at a younger age at the time of pregnancy, live alone or with limited family support, have limited social support or marital conflict. All these conditions make you more likely to smoke, drink alcohol, and have drugs that can harm you and your developing fetus.