“With Sorrow You Will Have Sons”: The Constructive Consequence of Maternity Blues

Abstract

Drastic changes in the life of women during the puerperal period may account for both physical and mental effects in the form of fundamental changes accompanying delivery, adaptation to the maternal role, reorganization of marital and family relationships, and experience of profound hormonal fluctuations (Nagata, Nagai et al., 2000). Among other challenges in the early postpartum period is the transitional depressive state known as “maternity blues,” which can be viewed as a highly prevalent mental health problem. It occurs during the first days following birth, peaks on the fifth day (Harris et al., 1994), and may last for about two weeks (Cox, Holden, & Sagovsky, 1987). This phenomenon is characterized by depressed mood, fatigue, tearfulness, and mild insomnia. Cox et al. (1987) noted that women with severe maternity blues are at greater risk for persistent depression beyond the initial few weeks postpartum. In addition, there are reports of less than optimal maternal attachment in cases of maternity blues (Nagata et al., 2000). It was recently found that the touching behavior of mothers with maternity blues is significantly reduced in a similar manner to that reported among mothers with postpartum depression, probably due to the mothers’ withdrawn state (Ferber, 2004). The important tactile aspect in mother–infant interaction, which is the first to develop as a communication modality in the newborn (Gottlieb, 1991), is compromised in the early stages of maternity blues, as it is in postpartum depression. However, the preceding studies focused on severe maternity blues, as compared with medium and low levels of maternity blues, which were identified as no-blues. The condition of low