Daniela Knaan
UX/UI Designer at - AdobeOverview
Postpartum Depression is a serious condition that affects almost 20% of all women who give birth.
Most of you probably know the feeling of being a little moody, if you already have given birth, but for many women, those “baby blues” develop into a more severe condition.
New studies suggest, that breastfeeding may prevent Postpartum Depression. Another one of the so many benefits that breastfeeding has for mom and baby! So let`s take a deeper look…
What causes depression…
…during pregnancy
One of the main risk factors for depression is inflammation.
In the last trimester of pregnancy, there are high levels of proinflammatory cytokines in our body. Those are essential for protecting us from infection around the time of birth, but they also manifest some kind of inflammation. So we already have an increased risk for depression, because those levels remain higher than usual for some time after birth.
….after birth
Another risk factor for depression is stress because it causes inflammation. Stress levels may be increased by several things that are very likely to occur especially after birth:
- lack of sleep
Most probably during the first few weeks with a newborn, you won`t get much sleep, and the little you get is not that relaxing either. We sleep more lightly, always prepared to hear our baby cry and get up.
- insufficient nutrients
Most often, over caring for our newborn and maybe older kids, we forget about caring for ourselves. During postpartum it is so important to eat healthy and nutritious food to help our body heal properly.
- postpartum pain
No matter how you gave birth and how it went, you`ll experience some kind of pain. And pain increases stress.
- eventual birth trauma
Not every birth has the outcome we hoped for, and in the worst case, the experience may leave us traumatized. in women who had extremely stressful births, there were abnormally high levels of cortisol, as one study shows.
- the new situation of being a mother
Especially for first-time moms, the postpartum period is a difficult one. Giving up freedom and the sudden responsibility we have for this tiny little person may be heavy on us. Moms who already have children face the challenge of managing the new situation.
- lack of support
“it takes a village…” is a saying I believe in very much. Unfortunately, today most moms have to cope alone, when it would be helpful to have people stepping by for cooking, taking the other kids, or just some good encouraging talk.
The correlation between Breastfeeding and Postpartum depression
Breastfeeding and postpartum depression have several correlations that were researched.
For one, mothers who successfully breastfed showed significantly lower levels of stress hormones than those who did not.
Breastfeeding apparently releases hormones that lower stress in the human body, and hence relaxes the mother and protects her mood.
In one study, stress levels were measured in mothers before and after a feeding session and it showed that they decreased significantly.
We always find that what nature intended has the best outcomes. We already know that breastfeeding is the best food for our baby for so many reasons.
We also know that it protects moms from a variety of diseases, and postpartum depression may be one further disease we could be protected from.
But what about women who intended to breastfeed but could not for some reason? Well, according to studies and sadly, they were found to be at the highest risk for postpartum depression. This shows us how immense pressure those women feel, maybe from themselves, or maybe from society.
How is your baby affected by PPD?
Studies showed that in babies of depressive mothers physiological symptoms of depression were found. It seems that our baby feels our mood and is affected by it.
Now let`s take a look at babies of depressive moms…
Studies found that the levels of stress were found to be lower in breastfed than in bottle-fed babies, and there are several reasons:
Breastfeeding moms hold their babies more often and for longer periods of time, whereas moms who bottle feed often try to avoid holding their babies much, due to their depressive mood. Separation increases stress levels in babies.
Further, as the mom relaxes during feeding because of the hormones that are released, the baby relaxes too..
What if breastfeeding does not go well?
The negative correlation between breastfeeding and depression does only apply when breastfeeding goes well. Unsuccessful breastfeeding brings many further stress factors that promote inflammation, like nipple pain, mastitis, and unsureness about whether the baby is getting enough milk…
Being aware of that, it is even more important to support moms at risk for PPD to establish successful breastfeeding as early as possible after birth.
How to establish successful breastfeeding early?
It is more than obvious that all women should be supported and given the opportunity to initiate breastfeeding as early as possible.
Unfortunately, at hospitals, and in our society, the circumstances are not always ideal. Here are a few things that can help:
- early and undisturbed skin-to-skin contact right after birth for at least one and a half hours
- often and long skin-to-skin contact during a hospital stay and at home
- visit a prenatal class to learn about breastfeeding even before birth
- contact a good lactation counselor at the hospital or right after being discharged
- discover and treat possible challenges as early as possible
Conclusion
We clearly see that there are several factors that increase the risk of postpartum depression. During that vulnerable time just after birth, a lot comes together and every woman has the right to be protected as much as possible from this severe condition.
This includes supporting and helping new moms with their everyday tasks, with conversation- and those who decide they want to – with breastfeeding. A strong support system is the greatest way of preventing a woman from becoming depressive, and together with successful breastfeeding- if intended from the beginning, both mother and child can be more relaxed and happy.
resources
https://internationalbreastfeedingjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1746-4358-2-6
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10995-014-1591-z
