I recently wrote an article about the importance of social support for new mothers after a baby is born. Baby blues is a condition that affects most new mothers as hormonal changes, sleep deprivation, and the sense of responsibility in caring for a new life all take their toll. However, some mothers are particularly vulnerable at this time. Studies have identified a number of risk factors for developing postpartum depression, which is a serious form of clinical depression that can affect mothers in the first months after a baby is born. The one that puts expat mothers at especial risk is the potential lack of social support during this vulnerable time. Lack of social support has been identified as one of the risk factors that are not only correlated with postpartum depression, but may actually cause it. In my experience, the biggest problem is that some mothers tend to underestimate the demands a new baby will place on them, and so do not prepare in advance for the help they will need. Since most of a new mother’s energy and time will be taken up by caring for her baby, somebody else needs to take care of everything else she used to do, from work, errands, shopping, older children, etc. Attempting to keep on meeting these responsibilities after the birth of a baby as if nothing had changed is a one-way ticket towards frustration and possibly depression. Mothers who give birth in a foreign country are especially vulnerable, since they may be far removed from their families and may not have had time yet to develop a network of friends who could help.
To read more about how to identify postpartum depression, how to recognize risk factors, how to prevent or treat it, read my article entitled Expat Moms at Higher Risk for Postpartum Depression.
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