Amaryllis Castillo works two jobs, totaling over 50 hours weekly, while pregnant and struggling financially. The U.S. lacks a national paid parental leave program, leaving families, especially low-income ones, to manage childbirth without adequate support. This absence of benefits, such as health insurance or paid time off, exacerbates stress and increases the risk of postpartum mood disorders for new mothers. Financial hardship, a known trigger of these disorders, compounds the challenges facing families like Castillo's, highlighting the urgent need for systemic change in support for pregnant women in America.
The American approach to pregnancy and birth has largely been to leave families to manage the transition to new parenthood on their own.
Being low-income is a risk factor for developing depression, and one of the greatest predictors for developing a PPMD is having previously experienced a mental health disorder.
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