Giving birth and becoming a mother for the first time have enormous impacts on women of all ages. Regardless of socioeconomic rank or geographical location, women experiencing motherhood often undergo a variety of psychological stresses and changes. Anticipating some of those changes may help first-time mothers reduce their fear and uncertainty or help strengthen the bonds between newborn and mother.
Stress
Stress usually accompanies a woman as she brings her baby home from the hospital for the first time. It is usually at this time that a woman first truly realizes that the infant will be completely dependent on her, often causing the new mother anxiety, uncertainty and self-doubt. Support from family and friends is very important at this time.
Postpartum Depression
According to a June 2004 article in World Psychiatry, about 13 percent of women experience postpartum depression, which is caused not only by the changes and stress associated with having a baby but by physical factors that include lower levels of serotonin released by the brain. Physicians typically offer SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), which are types of antidepressants, such as Prozac, Zoloft or Lexapro, that block the reuptake or resorption of serotonin by some kinds of brain cells, leaving more serotonin in the brain, which lifts the mood.
Isolation
Some new mothers may feel isolated from old friends and family members who don't have children, leaving them feeling left out of gatherings, events and social opportunities they enjoyed previously. This situation may be especially true of single mothers.
Pressure
Mothers often place enormous amounts of pressure on themselves to be perfect parents. As role models, they may be aware that others judge everything they say or do, especially as children enter school and interact socially with other groups of children. According to Shari Thurer, author of "The Myths of Motherhood," women often set impossibly high standards for themselves, leading some to then feel a sense of failure for failing to reach them.
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