Emblazoned Motherhood - A Haiku
Emblazoned Motherhood
Made invisible
By new life, mothers suffer
Alone needlessly
Yet, do you see it
Nigh? Ever closer? The dark
Mist breaking ahead?
There, in the distance,
Therapists emerge through bleak
clouds, pregnant with thought
They trumpet boldly,
Wielding themselves hence—armed with
Compassion and light
Through faithful valor
And intrepidity, they
Deliver mothers
From the threat of shame
And sorrow, sanctified by
‘Selves’ freely given
Discussion
Each Haiku stanza is explored here:
1.) Postpartum mental health conditions are largely invisible despite the growth in associated research. This is especially true in the hospital setting, where no other healthcare profession is currently addressing maternal mental health. Thus, mothers are left to wade through their mental health journeys alone. This lack of help is needless as occupational therapists are uniquely positioned to help mothers during this period. This stanza also represents the imposed invisibility that motherhood places on women. Transitioning from their pre-baby public image of being promising, young, and valued individuals; when women become mothers, they lose their identity and are forced atop a prison pedestal where they are rendered irrelevant, and their former identity is dead. This stanza is additionally intended to represent periods of mensuration required for future pregnancy. This can be seen in the imagery of (future) mothers suffering alone in an invisible way. Mensuration has long been a taboo subject—depicted as too base and Earthy to be considered acceptable for polite conversation or even literal visibility. While we no longer banish menstruating women to red tents (as they did during Biblical times), we do require women to hide their cramps, decreased moods, fatigue, breakouts, and bloating behind a false image. MENSTRUATION
Made invisible
By new life, mothers suffer
Alone needlessly
2.) Despite the lack of occupational therapy in postpartum care, therapists are not waiting around for change via administrators or others to call them in to help. Rather, therapists are creating the needed change themselves. This stanza represents the sex act required for pregnancy: dark equates to night, closer alludes to impending climax, and mist/a head breaking indicates said climax. Additionally, the imagery of the dark mist breaking ahead is intended to relay the foreboding nature of dwindling mental health. COPULATION
Yet, do you see it
Nigh? Ever closer? The dark
Mist breaking ahead?
3.) This stanza intentionally alludes to “emerging practice” and pregnancy. Clearly, pregnancy is related to my project, but an emerging practice area could also be seen as a “pregnant stage.” A time where therapists are creating a future practice—which takes an incredible amount of thought and labor. PREGNANCY
There, in the distance,
Therapists emerge through bleak
clouds, pregnant with thought
4.) While this stanza references the therapeutic use of self (“wielding themselves hence”) that therapists employ when working with clients (mothers included), it also represents the labor component of labor and delivery. During the birthing process, women must be emboldened with bravery, compassion, and knowledge (i.e. light) to aid them in their seemingly impossible task. Due to occupational therapy’s feminist origins, the profession predictably embodies feminine values of bravery, compassion, and knowledge (over brawn). LABOR
They trumpet boldly,
Wielding themselves hence—armed with
Compassion and light
5.) This stanza is intentionally vague… is it referencing mothers or therapists? The surface intent is to represent therapists, but latently, the vague use of pronouns and syntax incites pondering. When we think of valor and intrepidity, we typically think of warrior men. However, through their deliveries of children, women are fearsome foes who can do more than simply snuff life out, they can literally breathe life into creation—a mystical power that eludes men. Therapists have the opportunity to deliver mothers out of the shadow of mental darkness. While therapists can be either male or female, the profession is overwhelmingly female—and an even higher percentage of women are involved in ushering in maternal healthcare. This Stanza exemplifies women as heroines. BIRTH
Through faithful valor
And intrepidity, they
Deliver mothers
6.) Finally, this stanza is THE Stanza. Clearly, the other stanzas build to the sixth and final Stanza, but it also stands alone. The initial line and a half discusses common mental health ramifications of postpartum changes, but the final line and a half provide hope. Therapists have the ability to sanctify a traumatic experience that threatens shame and sorrow by employing their therapeutic use of self. Since the time of our Moral Treatment founding to present day, occupational therapy practitioners have operated on the belief that all people are worthy of dignity, care, and respect… even those imprisoned atop pedestals. Women, who were commonly locked away in mental institutions—away from the children they birthed—have been freed from this specific threat of shame and sorrow, through Moral-Treatment-responsive professionals like occupational therapists. So many occupational therapists have dedicated their lives to making the existence of the downtrodden and forgotten better. Therapists have largely done this through community health and prevention—which has led to more moral care and freedom for those who had been previously oppressed in the name of healthcare. While oppression still occurs, OT is dedicated to advocating against oppression, and providing creative paths forward. As a profession—holistically—we give of ourselves freely (just as mothers do), but it must also be noted that each therapist (and mother) has their own individual stories of sacrifice and commitment. In the specific case of postpartum care, therapists and mothers must work together through co-occupation to bring about this sanctification just as mothers and newborns must engage in various co-occupations following birth (skin-to-skin contact to stabilize baby physiologically and mother psychologically, the breast crawl, breastfeeding, diapering, dressing, syncing sleep cycles, etc.). Therefore, this final stanza represents a time of change and growth through co-occupation. FOURTH TRIMESTER
From the threat of shame
And sorrow, sanctified by
‘Selves’ given freely
