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Postpartum depression, a condition that affects more than 10 percent of new mothers, may have a negative affect on the newborn as well as the mother.
Babies whose mothers suffer from this condition during the first six weeks after birth may develop more slowly than those with healthy mothers, according to a study conducted in Goa, India.
While the effects of postpartum depression have been studied in developed countries, the effects have not been explored as much in developing countries.
The growth and development of 37 babies of mothers with postpartum depression was compared with that of 134 babies of normal women. The infants were measured twice during the study, at 6 weeks of age and then 6 months of age.
Babies of mothers with postpartum depression were 2.3 more likely to be underweight and 2.9 times more likely to be short at 6 months of age than other babies.
Further, 44 percent of the babies with depressed mothers scored low on a test measuring development, compared with 20 percent of those with mothers who were not depressed. These rates remained even after other factors that can affect development, such as birth weight and maternal education, were accounted for.
Researchers say that depressed mothers are less interested in their babies and are less likely to breast feed, which can lead to poorer growth in their babies. Moreover, emotional bonding may be less likely to occur, which can also inhibit a baby’s growth and development.
As babies in developing countries tend to have poor growth rates, researchers say the study findings indicate a new cause for the low rates, one that is potentially treatable. They say that mental health services should be an integral part of maternal and child health services.
Archives of Disease in Childhood January 2003;88:34-37
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