Even New Mothers in Other Cultures Need More Support

Western culture is not very understanding of the major life and identity changes that occur when a woman becomes a mother for the very first time. When dealing with these major changes in her psyche and her personal life, a woman can easily become overwhelmed emotionally and need help dealing with the changes that are happening both inside and outside of her. The more support, education, and care she receives the easier her transition to motherhood will be, which in turn will affect her relationship with her baby. My fervent hope is that this country will eventually come to understand and validate the major life change that transitioning from an independent woman to a mother involves and support women in this life-altering endeavor rather than perpetuating the unrealistic myth of a fairy tale transition to motherhood.

In India the need for new mothers to receive care, support, and encouragement is being recognized. In an article dated October 10, 2007 there is a call to husbands to be more attentive after the birth of a woman’s first baby since she is more susceptible to “postpartum blues.” According to the author of the article, the typical Indian tradition is for a new mother to receive 40 days of rest where the woman’s extended family takes care of her so that she can get enough good food to eat, rest, and learn how to care for and nurture her baby. Sadly, this kind of extended care for a new mother in the U.S. is not the norm. In fact, it is not uncommon for a new mother to be sent home 48 hours after giving birth with no support system at all, even new mothers of twins and triplets (it's true!). This means that she must figure everything out for herself, as well as recover from the birth, try to meet her own needs for nourishment and rest, learn about newborns, AND care for her new baby 24 hours a day.

Here is the link to the article mentioned above:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Husbands_must_help_wives_through_motherhood_blues/articleshow/2444286.cms