ABSTRACT
Postnatal depression is different; after a few days of obvious ‘blues’ it can be a more subtle condition, not always easy to detect, and it goes on for much longer. Boutaleb's work with mothers suffering baby blues, depression or anxiety has convinced her of the importance of women owning and sharing these feelings rather than suffering in silent shame. Conversely, it can be the father who keeps the importance of the couple relationship in mind, protecting it from being sidelined by the mother-baby couple or from being too damaged by mother's postnatal depression. It has recently been realised that postnatal depression can in many cases be prevented and, just as important, that women who do suffer from it can quickly recover. Glover has even found that mothers massaging their very young babies are less likely to suffer from postnatal depression and it improved the quality of interactions with their baby.
