Postpartum Depression In Nursing Research

Introduction Welcoming a new child can be a joyous occasion for a mother and the family. With this joy a flood of emotions can occur within the first few hours to days after delivery. This can include feelings of whether or not the woman may be a good mother, anxiety about how things are going to change, and exhaustion from the new change of a new member of the family (). These symptoms can last for a few days but can also impact a mother for several months, this is known as Postpartum Depression. Postpartum depression can affect any women with any type of pregnancy, whether it is a first time mom or someone with their fourth child, PPD can have an impact on motherhood (apa.org). Postpartum depression can cause a psychological impact on the

Postpartum depression was a topic that was never spoke about due to stigma of feelings that a new mother should not have. By allowing other outlets and resources this can change a woman’s perception and allows nurses to give mothers the education that is needed to prevent this from occurring and have information if a mother begins to suffer from this condition.

Nursing Research Postpartum depression affects about 13% of new mothers in the first year after childbirth (Marrs, 2012). Every year there are nearly 4 million births and approximately 1 in 7 women experience postpartum depression (PPD.org). Studies show that mothers that suffer from postpartum depression do not get assistance to help manage their symptoms due to external and internal barriers that prevent them from getting the care they need. These barriers can include time constraints, childcare requirements, and the accessibility of treatments which can cause difficulty in getting treatment (Marrs, 2012). Typically, when a woman goes in to see the physician after giving birth, approximately 4-6 weeks after delivery, they may be given a questionnaire to evaluate how they are coping with the new addition to the family. These

Symptoms of baby blues can include sadness, crying, irritability, anxiety, and confusion. Unlike postpartum depression, these symptoms resolve by the 10th day after delivery and do not affect the person’s ability to function (medicinenet.org). There can be many factors that can cause postpartum depression which include hormonal changes, history of depression, emotional factors, and lifestyle factors. Before delivery there are high amounts of estrogen and progesterone and after delivery that number decreases significantly, leading to a risk of depression after delivery. Another factor is women with a history of depression, as some women who have had depression before, during or after pregnancy, are at increased risk to develop postpartum depression (acog.org). Other psychological factors include emotional factors and ambivelance to the pregnancy. A recent study found that nearly 45% of pregnancies are unplanned in the US (Storrs, 2016). This can lead to an adjustment period of the idea of having a new baby and can affect the womans self-esteem and how to deal with the stress (acog.org). The mother’s emotional well being can play a large factor in the mother-infant relationship that they may have. Some mothers become withdrawn from their child which can later affect the childs cognitive