Several reasons have been cited for postpartum depression in mothers. A latest Finnish study now suggests that fear of giving birth is associated with the postnatal depression.
The study published in the journal BMJ Open examined 500,000 mothers in Finland. The researchers observed that the women who were afraid of childbirth had higher chances of developing the condition.
"Postpartum depression may affect the mother's abilities and skills to engage in delicate interaction with the child, and thus impair the development of an attachment relationship - possibly affecting the child's later development and well-being," the researchers wrote in the study.
The study observations showed that women with no depression history had threefold chances of developing the disorder. Women who were prenatally diagnosed with depression had five times increased risk of the condition. Also, the risk of postpartum depression was highest after the first delivery.
The researchers further found that fear of childbirth during pregnancy tripled the risk of postpartum depression. Caesarean section, pre-term birth and major congenital anomaly, were found to be other risk factors of the depression.
"As expected ... two-thirds of all cases occurred in women with a history of depressive symptoms before or during pregnancy," wrote lead study author Sari Raisanen, an epidemiologist and visiting scholar at Emory University in Atlanta, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The authors also stated that nearly 80 percent of those giving birth experience 'baby blues,' a short term condition. But some women face severe depression that leads to postpartum psychosis, the Times quoted the researchers.
Symptoms of postpartum depression include sadness or anxiousness. Sometimes it grows into crying spells, low self-esteem; lethargy and sleeplessness.
A latest study shows that longer maternity leave reduces postpartum depression. The researchers suggested that working women should be given at least six months before joining the office post-delivery.
