BABY FACE Mothers intuitively adapt their facial
expressions when interacting with their babies. Raising the eyebrows denotes an appropriate "eye greeting."
Image: AGE FOTOSTOCK
In Brief
- Bouts of crying and irritability, along with concentration lapses and exhaustion, affect 80 percent of new mothers. But these baby blues disappear within a few hours or days of delivery. In contrast, 10 to 20 percent of women in the U.S. develop a more disabling and longer-lasting disorder called postpartum depression in the first year after childbirth that often impairs their ability to care for their babies.
- Dramatic hormonal fluctuations that occur after delivery may contribute to postpartum depression in susceptible women, but causes of the disorder are not fully understood.
- Postpartum depression can weaken the developing bonds between a mother and her child and thereby make a toddler more passive, insecure and socially inhibited. As a result, therapy often focuses on repairing the mother-child bond by changing the negative behavior patterns that develop between mother and child during depression.
The psychologist smiles at Manuela, a new mother in her late thirties. “Please play with your baby for two minutes,” the therapist instructs her and then leaves the room. Two video cameras film Manuela (which is not her real name) and her three-month-old daughter. In the next room, a split-screen monitor shows the mother’s profile on the left and her infant in a baby chair on the right.
At first, Manuela appears to be at a loss for what to do. Then, her face noticeably stiff, she begins to talk softly to her baby. Her baby fidgets, briefly makes eye contact and then turns away. Manuela eventually stops talking and stares into the distance, unsure again how to act. She absentmindedly strokes her baby’s foot with one hand. The psychologist knocks on the door; the videotaping is over. The new mother is now on the verge of tears.
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5 Comments
Add CommentAs this article says, the vast majority of mothers experience periods of crying and irritability along with concentration lapses and exhaustion.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe postpartum depression is caused by many factors, including both genetic and enviromental factors.
The depression adversely affects the development especially of male infants.
This is probably because of the more mental dependence on mother of male infants than of female infants.
The mother-child bonding is based on a properly functioning opioid system. Opioid peptides from cow-milk and gluten, might disturb the reseptors involved - thus induce bouth post-partum depression and disturb the bonding process..
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThis applies to any mother with food allergies or family history of such.
Think gluten- and caseinfree diet for a few month to see if the problem goes away..
Good resources for moms and dads needing help:
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thiswww.postpartum.net The website for Postpartum Support International.
www.MedEdPPD.org a great source of information about prenatal and postpartum mood problems.
Beyond the Blues, A Guide to Understanding and Treating Prenatal and Postpartum Depression (2006) in English and Spanish. www.beyondtheblues.com
Pec Indman EdD. MFT
I have a theory. The human body contains about 0.1mg of natural uranium. We are nuclear powered. Post-partum depression is caused when the mother gives part of her essence of life, natural uranium, to her child. All forms of depression can theoretically be helped by recharging our batteries. This is done by solar radiation, in moderation, and root vegetables, like a raw carrot a day. If you're on medication, check with your doctor before sun bathing in moderation. This recipe should help, and can't hurt.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisdid anyone think about what goes into being a mom as a cause? wtf is wrong with you "Scientists" you completely overlooked the fact that motherhood sucks, you go from being a hot single who gets dinner and drinks for free, never have to clean unless you want to, do whatever you want to, to : tada, an incubater, you can't eat without throwing up or smelling something ect, at the end you give birth and get a person, that can feed itself, wipe its own butt or move, and every waking moment of your life is to take care of it, let alone the financial pressures in a society that Still makes life harder for women than men, men who won't be around help or even pay child support, stare at the floor thinking about how if things aren't that bad now they could be that bad in a minute, if your white knight is somehow gone, you're looking at 20 years, of parenting, which is the closest thing to hell besides child abuse, speaking from someone surviving both, its ironic that you only think about the chemical instead of considering that the responsibility, and circumstances may be to blame, its a human issue, humanity is cruel, and being a women is a huge suck fest, and being a beautiful one is even worse
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