Postnatal Depression - Facing the Paradox of Loss, Happiness and Motherhood

Why do I feel so sad when I am so happy? I must be a bad mother.

Having a baby is usually a reason for happiness and celebration. Depression after childbirth causes emotional pain and suffering that lives side by side with the joy. That is the underlying paradox and it is that paradox that frequently leads to sense of bewilderment and guilt.

Through the stories of 24 women trying to negotiate their lives as mothers, Paula Nicolson helps women understand more about the realities of motherhood. Ninety percent of new mothers find themselves in tears and feeling 'down' soon after giving birth and one in ten will become depressed during the first year. Postnatal Depression: Facing the paradox of loss, happiness and motherhood shows how better self-knowledge and a greater understanding of PND can help lift the burden and restore self esteem and harmony to mothers and their families.

Paula Nicolson, University of Sheffield, UK.