Abstract
M.Cur.
The birth of a baby is a life-changing event in a person's life. During this time there are expectations of positive feelings. The new mother experience ambivalent feelings about the new phase in her life. These feelings can range from a feeling of excitement, postpartum-tears, anxiety about the baby's care, depression and psychosis with an onset
in the postpartum period. The goal of this research was to identify indicators for postpartum depression, that are present during pregnancy, during the delivery and in the postpartum period, in order to identify and treat a high risk client for postpartum depression in time. In this way mental health will be promoted.
In the first part of the research, an exploratory, descriptive design was used within the context of a private and provincial baby clinic on the Westrand. The research firstly consisted of a literature study about the indicators for postpartum depression. A questionnaire was compiled from this literature study and it was used to collect data in a private and provincial clinic. A descriptive and explanatory design was used in the
second part of the research study, to determine a connection between the indicators of postpartum depression and a diagnosis of postpartum depression. The test sample comprised of all the women who visited a postpartum baby clinic (private as well as provincial) in the postpartum period, who's baby was six months or younger. The questionnaire was completed with their visit to the baby clinic and then returned to the
respective fieldworkers.