3 © Unisa Press ISSN 1812-6371 New Voices in Psychology 8(1) 2012 pp 3-16 Articles social support among black African women who have recently given birth: the narratives of postnatal women Khonzi Mbatha Department of Psychology University of South Africa mbathk@unisa.ac.za ABstrAct This article reports on a study that explored the role that social support from significant others such as parents, partners, friends and health professionals plays in mediating psychological issues during pregnancy, childbirth, and post natal among African black women in Emadadeni Township in Kwa Zulu Natal. The study was rooted in an interpretive, qualitative paradigm and a phenomenological research design was employed. Purposive sampling was used to select participants for the study who were aged from 18 to 25 years with a baby older than two weeks but less than six months. Semi- structured interviews were conducted in the mother tongue of the participants until the point of saturation where no new information arose from the six participants who were interviewed. Thematic analysis was used to extract recurrent themes across the participants. The results indicated that social support, especially from parents and partners, helped women to cope with the stress that is experienced during pregnancy, childbirth and post natal. Keywords: cognitive schemas; phenomenology; postnatal depression; postnatal period; pregnancy; social support theory Pregnancy is one of the most magical moments any woman can experience, but it could also be a traumatic experience (Bina, 2008). For some women it is the beginning of a period of stress and depression, more so when social support is limited or absent. The process of giving birth may present potentially challenging moments for vulnerable women (Bashiri & Spielvogel, 1999; Bina, 2008). According to Cox (1999), childbirth is a signifcant life event, particularly for women. Support from