This study examined how childbirth expectations and experiences relate to the incidence of postpartum mood and anxiety disorders for primaparas. Forty-four participants, pregnant and expecting their first child, were recruited and assessed for (a) childbirth expectations using the Experience and Expectation Screen Scale (EESC) and the Childbirth Expectation Scale (CEQ), (b) Internal Locus of Control using the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control-Form C (MHLC-C), (c) experience during childbirth using the EESC to determine how these factors impacted prevalence of anxiety and depression after childbirth as measured by the Impact of Events Scale-Revised (IES-R) and the Postpartum Depression Screening Scale (PDSS). Multivariate multiple regression was used to investigate the relationship between childbirth expectation, childbirth experience, internal locus of control, and the prevalence of mood and anxiety disorders. Expectation did not prove to be a significant variable for either the PDSS or the IES-R. However, high internal locus of control and self-reported negative experience during childbirth proved significant predictors for both PDSS and IES-R. These results indicate that women with a high internal locus of control and women who report negative experiences during childbirth are at a greater risk for the development of postpartum depression and posttraumatic stress disorder.