Women who receive better pain relief during labour are less likely to suffer postnatal depression
Controlling pain during childbirth may reduce the risk of mothers suffering from post-natal depression.
Researchers found women who had an epidural during labour had a 14 per cent rate of depression six weeks after birth.
But this rose to 35 per cent for those who did not have the pain relief.
In the study an epidural was the only means of pain control available to the women.
The Chinese research also found that breastfeeding was more common in the group who had an epidural for pain compared to those who did not, 70 per cent compared to 50 per cent.
Dr Katherine Wisner, a perinatal psychiatrist at Northwestern University in the U.S., wrote a report on the research conducted by the Chinese researchers.
She said: 'Pain control gets the mother off to a good beginning rather than starting off defeated and exhausted.
'Whether it’s vaginal or Caesarean section delivery, pain control [during and after the birth] is an issue for all new mothers.
'There is no way to have a delivery without pain. The objective here is to avoid severe pain.
'Controlling that delivery pain so a woman can comfortably develop as a mother is something that makes a lot of sense.'
She added the study’s findings, published in the journal Anesthesia & Analgesia, are among the few to examine the relationship between pain during labor and postpartum depression.
'It’s a huge omission that there has been almost nothing in past research about pain during labour and delivery and postpartum depression.
'There is a well-known relationship between acute and chronic pain and depression.'
The incidence of severe acute postnatal pain is approximately 11 per cent for new mothers.
The research discovered that biological and emotional factors contribute to postpartum depression, which affects 14.5 per cent of women who give birth.
Dr Wisner added: 'These findings are quite exciting and further research should be done to confirm them, especially in women at increased risk of depression and in women from other cultures.'
She recommends a woman who has chronic pain one to two months after delivery should be screened for depression.
And that managing pain after childbirth supports a new mother’s ability to emotionally attach and care for her baby.
Women who had an epidural during labour had a 14 per cent rate of depression six weeks after birth - but this rose to 35 per cent for those who did not have the pain relief
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2701683/Mothers-epidural-likely-suffer-post-natal-depression.html#ixzz38JZFwBBp
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
