Breastfeeding and postpartum depression: Assessing the influence of breastfeeding intention and other risk factors (original) (raw)
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Maternal and Child Health Journal, 2014
This study aimed to identify the causal effect of breastfeeding on postpartum depression (PPD), using data on mothers from a British survey, the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. Multivariate linear and logistic regressions were performed to investigate the effects of breastfeeding on mothers' mental health measured at 8 weeks, 8, 21 and 32 months postpartum. The estimated effect of breastfeeding on PPD differed according to whether women had planned to breastfeed their babies, and by whether they had shown signs of depression during pregnancy. For mothers who were not depressed during pregnancy, the lowest risk of PPD was found among women who had planned to breastfeed, and who had actually breastfed their babies, while the highest risk was found among women who had planned to breastfeed and had not gone on to breastfeed. We conclude that the effect of breastfeeding on maternal depression is extremely heterogeneous, being mediated both by breastfeeding intentions during pregnancy and by mothers' mental health during pregnancy. Our results underline the importance of providing expert breastfeeding support to women who want to breastfeed; but also, of providing compassionate support for women who had intended to breastfeed, but who find themselves unable to. Keywords Breastfeeding Á Mental health Á Edinburgh postnatal depression scale Á Child development Á ALSPAC
CMAJ Open, 2016
Background: A link exists between breastfeeding difficulties and postpartum depression, and evidence shows that some breastfeeding promotion initiatives may increase maternal stress and contribute to risk of the condition. We conducted a prospective cohort study to determine whether breastfeeding difficulties affect the risk of postpartum depression and whether breastfeeding support modifies the relationship between breastfeeding difficulties and postpartum depression. Methods: Between June and October 2010, we recruited 442 women who intended to breastfeed from all maternity hospitals in Calgary within 72 hours of giving birth to full-term, singleton infants. We administered questionnaires at birth and 6 weeks and 6 months postpartum, measuring breastfeeding difficulties, exposure to breastfeeding supports and postpartum depression. We used qualitative inquiry to measure breastfeeding support experiences. Postpartum depression was defined as a score of 10 or greater on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale or a self-reported diagnosis of depression in the first 6 months postpartum. Results: A total of 386 women (87.3%) reported moderate to severe breastfeeding difficulties and 437 (98.9%) received some form of breastfeeding advice, help or support. Among women with breastfeeding difficulties, those who did not report a negative breastfeeding support experience were at decreased risk of postpartum depression (risk ratio 0.36). In the final regression model a negative breastfeeding support experience was a significant effect modifier of the relationship between breastfeeding difficulties and postpartum depression. Interpretation: The quality of breastfeeding support is important not only for breastfeeding promotion but also for maternal mental health. Educating front-line caregivers to ensure that support experiences of breastfeeding women are positive can reduce the risk of postpartum depression.
Jornal de Pediatria, 2017
Objective: To investigate the association between postpartum depression and the occurrence of exclusive breastfeeding. Method: This is a cross-sectional study conducted in the states of the Northeast region, during the vaccination campaign in 2010. The sample consisted of 2583 mother-child pairs, with children aged from 15 days to 3 months. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale was used to screen for postpartum depression. The outcome was lack of exclusive breastfeeding, defined as the occurrence of this practice in the 24 h preceding the interview. Postpartum depression was the explanatory variable of interest and the covariates were: socioeconomic and demographic conditions; maternal health care; prenatal, delivery, and postnatal care; and the child's biological factors. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to control for possible confounding factors. Results: Exclusive breastfeeding was observed in 50.8% of the infants and 11.8% of women had symptoms of postpartum depression. In the multivariate logistic regression analysis, a higher chance of exclusive breastfeeding absence was found among mothers with symptoms of
Breastfeeding and postpartum depression: state of the art review
Jornal de Pediatria (Versão em Português), 2013
Objective: To review the literature on the association between breastfeeding and postpartum depression. Sources: A review of literature found on MEDLINE/PubMed database. Summary of findings: The literature consistently shows that breastfeeding provides a wide range of benefits for both the child and the mother. The psychological benefits for the mother are still in need of further research. Some studies point out that pregnancy depression is one of the factors that may contribute to breastfeeding failure. Others studies also suggest an association between breastfeeding and postpartum depression; the direction of this association is still unclear. Breastfeeding can promote hormonal processes that protect mothers against postpartum depression by attenuating cortisol response to stress. It can also reduce the risk of postpartum depression, by helping the regulation of sleep and wake patterns for mother and child, improving mother's self-efficacy and her emotional involvement with the child, reducing the child's temperamental difficulties, and promoting a better interaction between mother and child. Conclusions: Studies demonstrate that breastfeeding can protect mothers from postpartum depression, and are starting to clarify which biological and psychological processes may explain this protection. However, there are still equivocal results in the literature that may be explained by the methodological limitations presented by some studies.
Journal of Affective Disorders, 2011
Despite the fact that more than 90% of mothers in Japan prefer breastfeeding, the breastfeeding rate at 6 months postpartum is as low as approximately 35%. Postpartum depression and bonding disorder are recognized as factors associated with discontinuation of breastfeeding. However, these factors remain controversial. The purpose of the present study was to clarify the effect of postpartum depressive symptoms and bonding on the feeding pattern from 1-to 5-month postpartum. A longitudinal study was conducted at 1-and at 5-month postpartum, in 405 mothers who attended health check at three hospitals in the Tokyo metropolitan area at 1-month postpartum, and completed longitudinal questionnaires. A high proportion of breastfeeding mothers at 1 month postpartum had Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS) score of ≥9 at 5 months postpartum (p = 0.01), and these mothers changed to formula milk-based feeding at 5-month postpartum, when compared with those of the breastfeeding-based group at both 1-and 5-month postpartum,. The appearance of depressive symptoms seems to promote discontinuation of breastfeeding at 5-month postpartum.
Breastfeeding and Depression: A systematic review of the literature
Journal of Affective Disorders, 2014
Background: Research has separately indicated associations between pregnancy depression and breastfeeding, breastfeeding and postpartum depression, and pregnancy and postpartum depression. This paper aimed to provide a systematic literature review on breastfeeding and depression, considering both pregnancy and postpartum depression. Methods: An electronic search in three databases was performed using the keywords: "breast feeding", "bottle feeding", "depression", "pregnancy", and "postpartum". Two investigators independently evaluated the titles and abstracts in a first stage and the full-text in a second stage review. Papers not addressing the association among breastfeeding and pregnancy or postpartum depression, non-original research and research focused on the effect of anti-depressants were excluded. 48 studies were selected and included. Data were independently extracted. Results: Pregnancy depression predicts a shorter breastfeeding duration, but not breastfeeding intention or initiation. Breastfeeding duration is associated with postpartum depression in almost all studies. Postpartum depression predicts and is predicted by breastfeeding cessation in several studies. Pregnancy and postpartum depression are associated with shorter breastfeeding duration. Breastfeeding may mediate the association between pregnancy and postpartum depression. Pregnancy depression predicts shorter breastfeeding duration and that may increase depressive symptoms during postpartum. Limitations: The selected keywords may have led to the exclusion of relevant references. Conclusions: Although strong empirical evidence regarding the associations among breastfeeding and pregnancy or postpartum depression was separately provided, further research, such as prospective studies, is needed to clarify the association among these three variables. Help for depressed pregnant women should be delivered to enhance both breastfeeding and postpartum psychological adjustment.
Clinical Lactation, 2015
Overview: This study examines the impact of birth interventions, such as epidurals, inductions, pain medications, and cesarean sections, on breastfeeding and postpartum depression with a large sample of mothers.Method: Data for the present analyses were from the Survey of Mothers’ Sleep and Fatigue, a 253-item online survey of 6,410 mothers 0–12 months postpartum.Findings: Mothers were significantly more likely to be breastfeeding if they had unassisted vaginal births, or did not have epidurals or other pain medication during labor. Mothers had higher depressive symptoms if they perceived that their labors were difficult and they experienced high levels of pain. They also had higher depressive symptoms if they had planned or emergency cesareans, but unplanned (nonemergent) cesareans were associated with lower levels. When multivariate analysis was conducted, only epidural, postpartum hemorrhage, and postpartum surgery were significantly related to depressive symptoms.Conclusions: Th...
Breast-feeding and postpartum depression: is there a relationship?
Canadian journal of psychiatry. Revue canadienne de psychiatrie, 1997
To study the relationship between breast-feeding cessation and the onset of postpartum depression. The association between breast-feeding and depression was retrospectively examined in an obstetrical outpatient sample of 51 postpartum women who were suffering from major depression and who had stopped breast-feeding. Self-report questionnaire data were obtained from the subjects; the severity of the illness and the clinical course of each subject were evaluated. The majority (39 out of 51; 83%) of the women reported that their depression began the cessation of breast-feeding, while only 8 patients (17%) stated that their depression was subsequent to breast-feeding cessation. In an outpatient sample of depressed postpartum women, the onset of depression preceded the cessation of breast-feeding. The severity of the illness did not appear to influence breast-feeding persistence significantly.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH Breast-Feeding and Postpartum Depression: Is There a Relationship?
2015
Objective: To study the relationship between breast-feeding cessation and the onset of postpartum depression. Method: The association between breast-feeding and depression was retrospectively examined in an obstetrical outpatient sample of 51 postpartum women who were suffering from major depression and who had stopped breast-feeding. Self-report questionnaire data were obtained from the subjects; the severity of the illness and the clinical course of each subject were evaluated. Results: The majority (39 out of 51; 83%) of the women reported that their depression began before the cessation of breast-feeding, while only 8 patients (17%) stated that their depression was subsequent to breast-feeding cessation. Conclusions: In an outpatient sample of depressed postpartum women, the onset of depression preceded the cessation of breast-feeding. The severity of the illness did not appear to influence breast-feeding persistence significantly. (Can J Psychiatry 1997;42:1061–1065) Key Words:...