Expectant & New Mothers


  • 1 in 9 women have mental health issues at some time during pregnancy and within the year after (Ko, Rockhill, Tong, Morrow, & Farr, 2017)
  • 60% of women reporting symptoms of depression do not get a diagnosis (Ko, et al., 2017)
  • Between 2012-2015, WI had 12.8% prevalence of mothers with depressive symptoms (CDC, 2018)
  • Postpartum mood disorders are divided into 3 groups:
    • "Baby Blues": 50-75% of new mothers
    • Postpartum depression (PPD): 15% of new mothers (Postpartum Support International, 2019)
    • Postpartum Psychosis: 1-2/1,000 pregnancies, sever within first 2-3 weeks (American Pregnancy Association, 2019; MHA, 2019)
  • ​Screening rates among obstetricians/gynecologists as low as 9-12% (Ko, Farr, Dietz, & Robbins, 2012)
  • 26.3% of both prenatal and postpartum women reported stigma

Postpartum Depression (PPD)

  • Occurs within one year after childbirth (Mental Health America, 2019)
    • Symptoms:
      • Feelings of anger or irritability
      • Lack of interest in baby
      • Appetite and sleep disturbance
      • Crying and sadness
      • Feelings of guilt, shame or hopelessness
      • Lost of interest, joy, or pleasure in things once enjoyed (Postpartum Support International, 2019)
      • Extreme preoccupation with baby's health
      • Thoughts of harming child (Mental Health America, 2019)
    • ​2012 Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System Study (PRAMS) reports 11.1% of new mothers in WI reported PPD symptoms (Ko, Rockhill, Tong, Morrow, & Farr, 2017)
    • Risk Factors (Ko, et al., 2011)
      • Poor antepartum (during pregnancy) mental health
      • Under 19 years old, or 20-24 years old
      • Single parent
      • Live below poverty line
      • Stressful life events in the year leading up to birth
      • Smoking
      • Substance use
      • Fair or poor physical health during pregnancy
      • Poor pre-pregnancy and antepartum mental health - 5 times greater risk for PPD
      • Complications during pregnancy
      • Low birth weight infant
      • Infant in NICU

Resources


Source: National Institutes of Health