Anxiety after birth: an existential phenomenological enquiry into mothers’ lived experiences

The concept of anxiety after birth has attracted increasing interest from perinatal researchers in recent years, however there are no studies which examine the phenomenon from an existential phenomenological standpoint. The aim of this study therefore was to explore women’s lived experiences of maternal anxiety from a new perspective. Eight mothers were interviewed to obtain detailed experiential accounts which were analysed using Van Manen’s hermeneutic phenomenological approach. Three emergent themes were identified: 1. Being taken over; 2. Being with uncertainty; 3. Being with others. These themes illustrate the ontological nature of maternal anxiety in it’s embodied, ambiguous and interpersonal dimensions. Existential insights into the relational, transitional, and temporal nature of postnatal anxiety are presented. The discussion recognises key implications for therapeutic practice, noting that therapy can play a vital role in assisting mothers to explore their maternal identity, choices, uncertainties and anxious feelings. The study reveals that in addition to the considerable distress that anxiety after birth can bring, it also serves a protective function when understood from an existential context. By listening to the testimonies of mothers we can offer alternatives to a medicalised view of anxiety and shine light on what it is through how it is experienced.