Understanding and alleviating maternal postpartum distress: Perspectives from first-time mothers in Australia

As well as reinforcing evidence regarding common postpartum stressors, this study revealed novel insight into issues associated with normative psychological distress for new mothers (e.g., self-compassion). Perhaps most significant was that mothers also identified a range of clear practical strategies for community-based intervention designs that target psychological distress. As a result, these findings provide guidelines for interventions aimed at reducing psychological distress in the early postpartum period for Australian mothers.