ABSTRACT
The dichotomy of motherhood and loss is well recognized to those who study and work with postpartum women, distinguished by grief over the prevailing loss of self. This chapter describes holding as a loss-informed, strength-based approach and begins by understanding the grief that accompanies the postpartum period. The constellation of losses during the postpartum period is a hallmark feature of postpartum depression. If not protected, postpartum women can quickly define themselves by an overidentification with the perceived and pervasive loss, worsening the depression. The chapter talks about barriers to treatment for postpartum distress, and typically reviews them from two perspectives, namely: the mother's and the healthcare provider's. Depression is very treatable, especially when identified during pregnancy or early in the postpartum period before her symptoms become protracted. Although mothers might express feeling both empowered and powerless simultaneously, it is more common for women with depression and anxiety to convey a sense of helplessness and immobilization.
