Postpartum depression

What you need to know:

  • The four characteristics included the number of children the mother has; her ability to function in general life, at work and in relationships; her education level, which can determine access to resources; and her depression severity at four to eight weeks postpartum.

A new study by Northwestern Medicine was able to successfully predict a new mother would experience worsening depressive symptoms over the first year after giving birth by identifying four maternal characteristics that put her at risk.

According to the authors of the just released study, identifying these factors early in the postpartum period is key in allowing mothers to seek treatment earlier and improve their chances of a full recovery.

The four characteristics included the number of children the mother has; her ability to function in general life, at work and in relationships; her education level, which can determine access to resources; and her depression severity at four to eight weeks postpartum.

This therefore means that the society should support mothers since postpartum can be very severe and overwhelming. There are women who have ended up hurting their babies and themselves during this time.

First of all postpartum depression is difficult to notice as the mother’s major needs and challenges postpartum varies from one woman to another.

While transition to motherhood should be a joyful occasion,for some women, it is a season of emotional meltdown and stress.