Jennifer,
I have not heard that pp depression is virtually non-existent in the
third world, but if that is true, I'm not surprised, either. My reading
of birth in traditional cultures shows a custom of pampering and waiting
upon mom and baby for an average of 40 days. Why would anyone be
depressed when they are waited on like queens?

Contrast this to western culture experience. We race to get out of the
hospital and get back home (often for good reasons), have a grandma help
out a week or two if we are lucky, and meanwhile we are trying to look as
wonderful as possible as soon as possible. Kudos are given to the women
to "return to normal life" the soonest, and the woman who lays back and
concentrates only on the baby is criticized for her slovenliness. No one
is sure just how baby is supposed to act, so the new parents are
bombarded by conflicting advice, and on top of that, many dads may deal
with jealousy--- competition with baby--- because of our stilted values
and views of children. We live in the "nuclear family", with no safety
net such as the extended family provides, and our family relationships
are often tense.  No wonder so many of us become depressed after birth!
We seldom live up to our own expectations, let alone the expectations of
others, and can't even be sure of where to turn for definitive answers.

It makes perfect sense to me.

-Lisa

*************************************************
Lisa Marasco, BA, LLLL, IBCLC
[log in to unmask]  /  [log in to unmask]

*************************************************