Motherhood is often wrapped in celebration—sweets distributed to friends and relatives, photographs of the newborn flooding family WhatsApp groups and more. But somewhere between the waves of congratulatory messages and the exhaustion of sleepless nights, the mother herself can become invisible.
While social entrepreneur and philanthropist Janhavi Nilekani acknowledged that we are finally talking about women’s mental health, talk, she insisted, is the easy part.
Over the past decade and a half, maternal mental health has entered mainstream discourse. Therapy is no longer a stranger, postpartum depression is widely recognised and ‘baby blues’ are part of a larger understanding. “If anything, people are very conscious about mental health or very quick to label the normal range of human experience and emotion as something pathological,” said Nilekani, founder and chairperson, Aastrika Foundation & Aastrika Midwifery Centre, on the sidelines of the Mpowering Minds Summit. “When it comes to maternal mental health, there is a lot more awareness, but maybe still not much importance is given to it.”
In India, maternity care often prioritises safe delivery. But what happens after the child is born? According to Nilekani, a mother’s recovery— both physical and psychological—does not always receive the same emphasis. Unnecessary C-sections, inductions and episiotomies, when performed without clear medical need, can lead to prolonged recovery and higher morbidity. For Nilekani, reducing avoidable interventions is central to improving maternal mental health.
But hospitals are only part of the equation. The home environment, stressed Nilekani, can be detrimental to dealing with postpartum stress. “In Indian society, a mother's recovery and wellbeing are often given very little weight. Prioritising her physical recovery in maternity care is essential because the worse she feels physically, the harder it is to manage everything else,” she said. “Families also need to be more sympathetic to how hard the postpartum period is, ensuring the mother has an emotional atmosphere where she still maintains her autonomy and agency. We shouldn't force outdated, restrictive postpartum rituals on her; she is an adult in a vulnerable time who still deserves agency over herself.”
Also Read
- Why women's mental health matters more
- ‘Mental health checks should be embedded in community health programme’: Neerja Birla
- The stigma divide: Why young Indian women struggle to seek mental health help
- Lovechild: How Masaba Gupta built a brand on authenticity and self-love
- Mental game: Anju Bobby George's strategies for success off the field
- ‘Mental health is survival, not luxury for transgender community’: Akkai Padmashali
If there is one reform Nilekani would prioritise, it is stronger auditing of maternity hospitals and closer scrutiny of maternal morbidity data. “While safety of the mother and child is mainstream in much of India, the importance of minimising morbidity and side effects is not prioritised,” she said. “I would like to see more policy focus on that for the sake of women.”
India may be speaking more openly about mental health than ever before. The challenge now is to ensure a woman’s wellbeing after she steps into motherhood and the life after stepping out of the delivery room.