Verta Taylor in her book Rock-a-by Baby: Feminism, Self-Help, and Postpartum Depression analyzes issue related to motherhood and its aftermath, meaning post-partum depression and related psychological and physical manifestations of depression or sadness suffered by many women after childbirth. She does so in the context of her view that feminism has created a system for self-help for women suffering form this malady and that this is an effective way to address this particular problem. In her book, she indicates the nature of the issue, the severity of the problem, the way it has been viewed by women themselves, the means undertaken to aid women who face this problem, and the outcome of applying these methods. The study is not empirical but instead involves interviewing women and taking note of their problems and how they have or have not been helped. Her data is qualitative rather than quantitative, which makes the information useful for other researchers, for students, and for caregivers who need to know more about this problem. The study is not necessarily transferable to all situations and does not provide the sort of data that would satisfy those trying to generalize the results.

             Postpartum depression is a problem faced by many women after childbirth, and the consequences can be quite severe. The public has become aware of this issue because of various legal cases involving women who have killed their children, such as that of Andrea Yates in Texas. Postpartum depression is therefore potentially more than sadness and can lead to a form of psychosis, temporary though that may be. Such an outcome is not always the case, but it has been in too many cases. Far more women suffer alone with feelings of guilt and anger, as Taylor indicates. Taylor says the reason these feelings often emerge is because the women does not have the feelings for her child that she expected to have, and the cultural ideas women have about motherhood are one of the sources for those expectations.