The first author (ME) then coded the remaining transcripts, BVD-523 nmr drawing upon additional codes where required from the data. The various codes were then compared based on differences and similarities and sorted into subcategories and categories, that is, the manifest content (Granehielm & Lundman, 2004).

Subsequently, the tentative categories and subcategories were compared and discussed between the three authors until agreement was reached. Finally, the underlying meaning, that is, the latent content of the categories (Granehielm & Lundman, 2004), was formulated into three themes. Results The narrations of the new mothers about their experiences and concerns after birth related to three themes: 1) family dynamics; 2) living at the limits of survival; and 3) role of the cultural context after childbirth. We present the findings according to these three themes, six categories and 15 subcategories (Table I). Table I Themes, categories, and subcategories emerging from the women’s narratives Twenty-one women, all of them showing depressive symptoms at 2–3 months postpartum (M EPDS=11.8, EPDS range: 10–14), and most of them (except two) also during

the third trimester of the pregnancy (MEPDS=11.4, EPDS range: 6–29), were interviewed (Table II). Table II Background data of the participants Family dynamics Family relationship All marriages, except one, were arranged by the parents or family. Several of the mothers were married to men who had been married before and were thus responsible for step-children after the marriage. Most of the mothers

lived together with their in-laws in the same bari (several households sharing same courtyard) MLN2238 cell line (Kabir, 2001), but most of them had separate households. In a few cases, the mothers lived in polygamous marriage. Although most women reported supportive relationships with their husbands and in-laws, they admitted that they also had fights and quarrels in the family: “There is always a quarrel in a family when money is needed” (32 years, 3-para). Those GBA3 women who were living in polygamous marriages, that is, in the same household with the husband’s other wife said that they always quarrelled, mostly about the children and particularly if the children suffered from illness and needed medicine. The mothers reported having a good relationship with their infant. They said they loved the baby and were happy irrespective of whether they had a son or a daughter. However, some mothers reported that their babies had sleeping problems and that the baby had been crying at night for 2–3 months. Other mothers reported eating problems and these mothers were very concerned about their infants’ low weight. Violence The women reported on intimate partner violence and that they were sometimes beaten by their husbands. However, in most of these cases they did not feel so bad about it: “He becomes angry and beats me, but it is no big deal!” (30 years, 7-para).