Essay On Postnatal Depression

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An Infant’s experience of postnatal depression.
Many people today wonder if it is possible for an infant to be seriously affected by their parents experiencing depressed in the early stages of the infant 's life. A common term for this depression is specifically referred to as postnatal depression signified as a mood disorder that begins after childbirth, which usually lasts longer than six weeks. Postnatal depression is a very common disorder, there are over 3 million cases in the United states a year. In the case of Postnatal depression mothers are said to have a more negative affect towards their child, the parents consciousness begins to fade as well as a change in their behaviour. Parents that are seriously affected by this disorder are less likely to interact with their child in a loving way, according to (Leckman et al., 2007: 95) They also seem less prone to interact with the infant in a special way, calling him/her by a nickname, imagining the infant 's future, or idealizing the child.Taking into consideration the lack of affection during postnatal depression there have been many studies that specifically demonstrate the connection between this …show more content…

The infant 's reaction and experiences are outcomes thought to be influenced by the infant 's parents postnatal depression. Postnatal depression is not the certain cause to an infant 's change in behavior. Maternal negative mood compromises the child 's functioning and makes the mood even more negative (Tronick, 2007b: 377) An infant who looks for their mother 's affection becomes exposed to negative emotions because that 's all that is clearly their when dealing with this disorder. The effects on the infant can even cause the mother to feel worthless about herself because she knows what she is exposing her infant to. As the years go on and the child gets older, the child can be helped as well as the parent if they choose to work together and have positive emotions the child will not be negatively affected in

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