INTRODUCTION "No matter where a woman lives, giving birth should be a time of joy, not a sentence to death." Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, Former Executive Director of UNFPA (2001-2010) Mental health is universally considered as an important public health issue among the non communicable diseases. It is defined "as a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community" (WHO, 2001). From this definition it is evident that the development of the community is also dependent on the mental health status of its members. Women because of their gender and related issues, are considered as a special group that require special attention. One of the uniqueness in women is their biological ability to bear children. This directly contributes to the perpetuation of humankind. Motherhood brings a radical change in women¿s life. Preparation for motherhood starts much earlier but pregnancy leads to a most intense preparation and transformation which can be physically and psychologically overwhelming for many (Bergum, 1997). It is a well known fact that the antenatal period is a very crucial time for women, since they face several physical, biological and psychological challenges. These physiological, psychological and social transformations are also described as crises (Hollway, 2010, Raphael-Leff, 2001,