The Pre- and Peri-Natal Environment and Depression in Mothers and Neonates
by John A. Speyrer
According to a study
conducted at Queen's University in Belfast, Northern Ireland, it was
found that women have an almost doubled risk of developing postnatal
depression if they had received some type of emergency delivery. These
women were compared with others who had a hospital birth or other type
of more or less, normal birth. [ See Emergency Delivery Linked to Postnatal Depression Risk ]
The original data was from a report of 246 women who took part in a Malaysian study of maternal childbirth depression.
Fifty-five of the participants had undergone emergency delivery. The
remaining 191 had normal non-emergency delivery. All of the mother
completed the Edinburg Postnatal Depression Scale about 6 weeks after
delivery.
Other than the emergency delivery, each of the two cohort groups had
insignificant differences between them. The gestation periods, ages,
birth weight, Apgar score results, etc. were very similar. The result
of the test showed that the women who received emergency deliveries
had a 1.8 fold risk of being depressed after giving birth, in
comparison to the other group whose members had not undergone an
emergency delivery.
The article, which appeared in The Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research
concluded: "Compared with women having non-emergency delivery, woman
having emergency delivery had about twice the risk of developing
postnatal depression."
* * ** * *
The
data derived from this study has further implications. A number of
other revealing studies could be made of the neonates themselves.
A examination could be made of the effects of the emergency delivery on
the babies rather than on the mothers. Perhaps, such a study would
have had more serious implications because of the greater sensitivity
and susceptibility to depression of the neonates both as children and later as adults.
Another interesting study could zero-in on the capacity of these
unnaturally birthed mothers, to being a "good enough" parent. The
important bonding period between the mother and her child would
obviously be affected by the period of recuperation needed by the
mother because of the obstetrical intervention she endured. Other
studies have shown that obstetric complications and deliveries have a
pernicious effect on newborns. [See The Psychological Effects of Obstetrical Interventions by William R. Emerson]
It has been shown that up to twenty percent of mothers suffer from
postpartum depression.
A number of studies have shown that the infant
suffers while being cared for by such mothers. An article in the
January, 2000, issue of The Lancet
found that birth trauma (including, assisted delivery) results in an
infant being more sensitive to pain. The crying response as well as
cortisol levels was how sensitivity to pain was measured. This
sensitivity remains into adulthood as a greater number of pain
receptors are formed inutero and infancy. [See Study Points To The Effects of Depressed Mother On Their Infants ]
Rat studies have shown that pregnant mother rats transmitted their
anxiety to their fetuses which resulted in a lowering of their adult
innate intelligence. It is logical to assume that stress in pregnant
human mothers would have the same effect. [ See Rat Pups Respond Favorably To Maternal Attention Study: Findings May Be Applicable to Humans ] and [ Stress in Mother Has Learning Deficit In Offspring ]
These and many other research projects have shown how the womb environment can effect the developing fetus.
Emotional disturbances, felt depression by the mother, and even
attempted abortions are sensed by the fetus and can all produce
inutero depression. Even if the mother-to-be is grieving as a result
of losing a parent or is nursing a parent who is dying, the
overwhelming sorrow that she feels can be transmitted to her fetus.
Being born unwanted can also affect one's well-being and susceptibility to adult depression. [Also see Frank Lake's
Maternal-Fetal Distress Syndrome: An Analysis, Chap. 2, page 69 in Stephen Maret's Ph.D. Dissertation]A recommended Irish website dealing with these and kindred subjects in
the field of Pre- and Peri-natal Psychotherapy may be accessed at: - Amethyst Resource for Human Development.
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