Examined whether mothers who scored low on self-report depression scales were denying their symptoms and suffering from an illusion of mental health. Findings did not support the interpretation that low-scoring mothers were denying other symptoms. Rather, low-scoring mothers: 1) experienced a wide range of emotions and similar levels of positive emotions compared to mid-symptom mothers; 2) changed their reported levels of depressive symptoms over the course of the study; 3) reported a variety of symptoms at levels similar to those of mothers in the mid symptom range; and 4) were affected negatively by having a diagnosis of depression, in a manner similar to mothers in the mid and high symptom groups. Low symptom mothers reported the most positive profiles of maternal adaptation with higher levels of maternal self-esteem and a high ratio of self-reported positive to negative affect. They appeared to be experiencing an underdescribed highly positive normal postpartum state labeled "postpartum exuberance." Postpartum exuberance, as well as a compromise of affective functioning associated with any lifetime diagnosis of depression regardless of the mothers' current level of depressive symptoms, highlights the complexity of emotional reactivity during the postpartum period. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved)