“You’re not able to be yourself because people always expect you to be this ideal:” Women’s Experiences with Contemporary Norms of Mothering, Help-Seeking, and Postpartum Emotional Difficulties

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine women’s experiences with contemporary norms of mothering and help-seeking while living with postpartum emotional difficulties. Research showed that few women seek help for postpartum emotional difficulties (Fonseca et al., 2015; Henshaw et al., 2013). A review of the literature revealed many barriers to help-seeking including structural barriers, lack of knowledge of postpartum depression symptoms, stigma, shame, fear, and discomfort discussing symptoms (Corrigan & Watson, 2002; Edwards & Timmons, 2005; Fonseca et al., 2015; Foulkes, 2011; Leham, 2015; Sword et al., 2008; Thomas et al., 2014). In addition, contemporary norms of mothering were presented as a barrier to help-seeking (Leham, 2015; Thomas et al., 2014). However, neither of these two studies examined women’s experiences with contemporary norms of mothering and how it related to help-seeking. Therefore, the research question for this study was: What are women’s experiences with contemporary norms of mothering and help-seeking while experiencing postpartum emotional difficulties? Four women who self-identified with experiencing depressive-like symptoms within a year after giving birth, who felt as though they were unable to seek help, and who felt impacted by contemporary norms of mothering participated in this study and shared rich narratives about their experiences. The data were analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (Smith, Flowers, & Larkin, 2009). Two super-ordinate themes emerged: Stigma: A Barrier to Help-Seeking with the constituent themes Self-Stigma, Unaware of Symptoms, and Perceived Stigma: Expectations from Others; and, Resilience: A Catalyst for Help-Seeking with the constituent themes Helping Oneself and Seeking Help from Friends, Family, and Professionals. The themes describe the women’s experiences of their shift in help-seeking. Initially, they were unable to seek help because of stigma; however, overtime the participants developed resilience within themselves which led to helping themselves and seeking help from others. This study provided valuable insight into four women’s experiences with postpartum emotional difficulties, contemporary norms of mothering, and help-seeking. Considerations for mental health practitioners are discussed.