The misery of motherhood: Alternative approaches to maternal distress

This paper was developed from a presentation delivered to the Marce Society Pacific Rim Conference, Childbearing and mental health: risks and remedies (Barclay & Lloyd 1995). Midwives involved in education and clinical care are challenged to carefully consider the implications of accepting a psychiatric approach to new motherhood. While acknowledging the importance of understanding and treating clinical depression, the authors question the appropriateness of extending the psychiatric model to the psychological and social changes inherent in parenting. We focus our discussion on new motherhood and illustrate our argument with quotations from our own research.