Posptartum and the Great Abyss












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6 Responses to “Posptartum and the Great Abyss”

  1. Bonnie Anderson says:

    Re: postpartum “come to see your provider” appointments.

    I would NOT have had the energy, post-Cesarean, to do so even if it were offered.

    I agree that there should be more resources available, especially to first-time moms, but I question the concept of this coming from the medical profession.

    I believe the post-partum midwife or doula care is really the best option. If awareness of Post-Partum Doula care were to be spread at childbirth education classes, perhaps more women would try to take advantage of it.

    What our society has largely lost is the extended-family support (many live far from family) and even the church support that used to be available. Even further back, NEIGHBORS used to pitch in and assist.

    Also a factor you have not addressed: the STRESS of having that six-week adjustment period culminating with a financial need to return to the work force. This same financial pressure is a good part of the reason the family, church and neighborhood support is missing.

    I know I’m posing a lot of obstacles without suggesting solutions, but… IDEAS, anyone?

  2. Lauren Hale says:



    Sadly, many women are left to find the new world on their own. Sitting in a Newborn Care class is completely different than sitting at home with a screaming infant in your arms after you’ve been awake for nearly 24 hours.

    The key here would be to show hospitals how implementing an after-care program (ie, providing postpartum doulas) would increase their profits and earn them more money. If it were a billable service, then the hospital may be more inclined to provide the care.

    It’s very difficult to navigate the New World when left without a road map. Your suggestions here are a wonderful start. However, if a mother does not have the money to pay for a postpartum doula or there is not one in her area, she is still left to her own devices. This is why a hospital based program would really be the best bet for an increase in this type of service. Again, you have to show how it would raise their bottom line and increase their visibility as a trend-setting facility.

    A family member is a great idea too. Again though, there’s the financial aspect. I don’t know many women who have other family members able to up and take 6 weeks off work or from their lives to come and help.

    The entire situation is such a Catch 22 which can lead down some really nasty roads, including toward Postpartum Mood & Anxiety Disorders or worse, toward Postpartum Psychosis.

    It takes a village to raise a child but it also takes a village to care for a new mother.

    For today’s mother, the village is simply not there.

    • Desirre Andrews says:

      Thank you so much for your added insight. I still believe the care provider rather than the hospital is responsible for additional care and follow-up as the hospital is really a transitional facility overall.

      It is a Catch 22. It takes so many more of us for sure to help a new mother. A tribal or communal way of life facilitates better postpartum so often. We seem to forget that in our modern, western culture. We are not meant to be autonomous fully.

  3. Thank you for saying this. New mothers really are left to their own devices. We need better support!

    • Desirre Andrews says:

      We do and I see no reason why hospital-based providers cannot include more visits like home or birth center providers…. There is always a way.