Women of today face multiple challenges, many of which occur simply as a consequence of their gender. For example, many wives and mothers still find themselves struggling with role-related questions, such as, "should I be a stay-at-home mom or pursue a career?" In the case of the latter, many women find themselves juggling multiple roles (e.g., professional, wife, mother, household manager), while still somehow struggling with the guilt of dividing their time.

Additionally, there are those issues related to women's health and reproductive issues: the "baby blues," "normal" postpartum adjustment and more serious postpartum reactions, stress associated with infertility, grief associated with pregnancy loss, and the facing of life-threatening diseases, such as breast and ovarian cancers.

Often complicating these issues are the demands and limits that society seems to place on women of today. For example, with regard to the postpartum period, some of the age-old myths include:

• "New motherhood should be one of the most wonderful times in a woman's life."
• "I should instinctually know how to take care of an infant."
• "I should feel relaxed and comfortable with my new baby."
• "I should be able to easily manage the responsibilities of my baby and family, my home, and my career."

In reality, the statistics look something more like this:

• In the postpartum period, as many as 80% of women experience a temporary period of mild depression ("the blues").
• In the postpartum period, 10% to 20% of new women experience more serious emotional/mood reactions (e.g., clinical depression, mania, anxiety, panic).
• In the postpartum period, 0.1% to 0.2% of women experience a radical change in thinking and perception that may be classified as "postpartum psychosis."

In weighing the myths/societal expectations against the reality, is it any wonder that some women find themselves struggling with feelings of isolation and guilt, in addition to the other emotions that are so common in the postpartum period?

Rather than a rare abnormality, such feelings are often a normal part of the experience for many women; and it is often simply a matter of being able to verbalize and explore your thoughts, fears, and emotions with someone who understands and can offer strategies for coping with what may be one of the most difficult periods in your life.