If you’re of the “epidurals? Bring ’em on!” school of thought, this news will make you want to high-five science.
A new study has revealed that controlling women’s pain levels during childbirth has an unexpected benefit: it may reduce the risk of new mothers suffering from postnatal depression.
Chinese researchers analysed data from 214 women, and found that 14 percent of women who had an epidural during labour reported suffering depression six weeks after the birth of their baby, Essential Baby reports. In contrast, almost 35 percent of women who had no pain relief during childbirth reported suffering depression during that period.
The study also found that women who attended childbirth classes during pregnancy lowered their risk of postnatal depression, as did women who breastfed their babies, Yahoo News reports.
The study, which will be published in the August issue of journal Anesthesia & Analgesia, notes in its conclusion that further study with a larger sample size is needed ‘to evaluate the impact of epidural analgesia on the occurrence of postpartum depression.’
However, perinatal psychiatrist Katherine Wisner MD described the findings as ‘quite exciting’.
“(F)urther research should be done to confirm them, especially in women at increased risk of postpartum depression and in women from other cultures,” she said in a press release.
“It’s a huge omission that there has been almost nothing in postpartum depression research about pain during labor and delivery and postpartum depression,” she said.
“There is a well-known relationship between acute and chronic pain and depression… Pain control gets the mother off to a good beginning, rather than starting off defeated and exhausted.”
If this post brings up issues relating to postnatal depression for you, you can visit Beyondblue: the national depression initiative online, or call them on 1300 22 4636. You should also talk to your local GP or maternal health professional.
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This may be a touchy subject but linking it with breastfeeding? I've never had a child but I have heard stories of how mothers feel useless and quite honestly some of the stories broke my heart with their self doubt and how they were treated from medical staff! Anyway- because for whatever reason they cannot breastfeed and it was drummed into them that if they can't they're a failure.... Maybe that could also be a focal point somewhere..
Something to think about.
I had an epi with no 1 that was an emergency c section and the second was a vbac , no drugs.....no PND with either yet all the women l know that had epies (6 that l can think of off the top of my head) - all but 1 developed PND , tho her babe is only 5 months old so who can say. There definitely needs to be more research done into this as well as easily accessible alternatives to pain management and mental preparation during birth. Women HAVE to know this is THE most stressful thing their bodies will ever do, no matter how they give birth and they HAVE to mentally and emotionally prepare for it.