After childbirth a mother can feel many different emotions from an overwhelming amount of joy to depression. In “The Yellow-Wallpaper,” by Charlotte Perkins Stetson, the main character, the mother, recently gives birth to her baby. With her life changing so rapidly she starts to suffer from postpartum depression. “Postpartum depression is moderate to severe depression in a woman after she has given birth” (Berger). In “The Yellow Wall-paper” the mother suffers from postpartum depression for many different reasons. She starts to tear down the wall-paper and see things as well as not love her child. Hormone levels change so rapidly during and after a pregnancy it has a negative effect sometimes on the mother.

When a mother gives birth not only does her hormone levels change but her life changes. The mother will have a lack of sleep and worry that they won’t be a good mother (Berger). The mother in “The Yellow Wall-paper” experiences these things. Her work life, sleep hours, and freedom also changes along with her hormone levels. Her husband also leaves a lot of the work up to the mother. Having “little support from family, friends, or your spouse of partner” causes a higher chance of postpartum depression (Berger). Depression takes quite a toll on a family in general let alone a new family. The mother in this case doesn’t handle this postpartum depression very well. She says, “I am a comparative burden” (Stetson). The mother isn’t even comfortable with her relationship with her husband making it even harder for her to form a relationship with her new born. 

“Feelings of anxiety, irritation, tearfulness, and restlessness are common in the week or two after pregnancy” (Berger). These feelings tend to be normal until they last too long that start effecting the mother daily life, which it did in “The Yellow Wall-paper”. The mother starts to hallucinate and see things all around the house. “It creeps all over the house” (Stetson). Not only is she seeing a figure but she is smelling a smell that isn’t there. The normal everyday person doesn’t see or smell something that isn’t there. With this occurring in her life makes it hard for her to establish what is real and what isn’t, effecting her daily life. 

This mother also doesn’t want to take care of her own new born. Normally when a mother gives birth there is a connection between the mother and the baby. The “mother and baby’s bond” is always talked about. In this case it isn’t there. The mother gave birth to her child but feels no connections. It isn’t the mother fault. This mother is suffering from postpartum depression. This mother may also “have little interest in the baby” because of this depression or because she doesn’t like children, which most likely isn’t the case(Berger). She has someone else caring for the baby instead of her. Having someone else taking care of your child while the mother is working is one thing but not wanting to be involved in her baby’s development is something that is normally wanted by a mother with a new born. Watching the baby grow up, learn how to walk, talk, and grow into their own person is something that everyone wants to see their child do. This mother doesn’t want that she just sees another human being that she doesn’t want to have to provide for. This mother has the symptoms of postpartum depression; this mother has postpartum depression.  

This was written many years ago making the treatment choices scares. There aren’t many treatment options today. From talk therapy to medicine or both are used to treat this depression. “Breastfeeding will play a role in what medicine your provider recommends” (Berger). These treatments might have not been offered during this time because metal disorders were often hidden. Mental issues weren’t something that were talked about because you would be seen as crazy and thrown into an asylum. This mother wasn’t educated in the sense of asking for help or telling anyone that she was feeling this way. Her husband also didn’t know what to do to get her the help she and her family needed. Support groups are also used now to help mothers suffering from postpartum depression. 

If postpartum is “left untreated, postpartum depression can last for months or years” (Berger). Just like major depression there can be long-term problems that occur. Leaving this untreated not only puts the mother at risk for hurting herself but even her baby (Berger). There a many different levels of this depression, ranging from “The baby blues” to Postpartum Psychosis. This mother has Postpartum psychosis. “It is associated with delusions, loss of touch with reality, auditory and visual hallucinations, extreme agitation, confusion, inability to eat or sleep, exhilaration, racing thoughts, rapid speech, rapid mood swings, paranoia, and suicidal and /or infanticidal ideations” (Thurgood). The mother starts to see the yellow wall-paper as if it is moving. She thinks there is a woman in the paper moving the designs. The mother truly thinks this woman is real she says she has seen her during the day time moving the designs on the paper. Having these hallucinations isn’t normal. On a day to day basis the majority of mothers with a normal range or sanity do not see other women within designs on the walls. Letting this go untreated could change the mothers view of the world and life forever. 

At the end of the story John, her husband, faints. She doesn’t understand why he faints but it is very clear to the reader. As the reader, one can see that John faints because he not only can’t believe what he is seeing but that his wife is no longer there. His wife is now not who she used to be and isn’t the woman he married. She s ripping paper off the walls and she is going crazy. She can no longer control her actions, her reactions, this mental disorder is taking over her and her life. Her level of insanity scares John so much he passes out on the floor. Unlike recently though she runs over and is worried about him. She is showing love and compassion towards him which is something that hasn’t been seen since she her hormones have changed from giving birth.  She has been so depressed and confused because of the change in hormones and her new born and she has forgotten to love and care for her husband, but in this instance she does. Seeing John fall onto the ground and seeing him suffering brought back parts of her she couldn’t remember. It brought back her love for him which was getting pushed away and hidden within her. 

Postpartum depression has many different levels and effects on women. From hallucinations to not even wanting to be a part of their baby’s lives. When a mother gives birth many different hormone levels change. In some women these levels will travel back to normal in a timely manner but in some cases, like this one, the women’s body fails to return the hormones to normal levels creating problems in the woman’s life. When a woman gives the birth, the “thing” that has been growing inside them is now a part of their world, it is no longer feeding off the mother, it needs to be fed and loved. When the baby is inside the body does all of that on its own, now that pressure is put on the mother as well as the hormones changing creating unbearable pressure for some mothers causing postpartum depression. This is more likely to occur with mothers who weren’t planning on having a baby. Non the less postpartum has not only effected the mother in this poem but many other mothers around the world today. 
