In the United Kingdom (UK), health visitors (professionals who have at least three years of general nursing education and one year of specialist training) provide home visits to all women after birth as part [...]
While we tend to think of sleep deprivation as a postpartum issue, sleep problems are relatively common during pregnancy, with 15% to 80% of women reporting sleep problems during the first trimester and 66% to [...]
NPR just aired a short story about a young woman who experienced postpartum psychosis after the birth of her first child. It was a short article but it brought up several important themes. The [...]
In the earliest studies, postpartum depression was described an episode of depression associated with childbirth, typically emerging within the first three months after delivery. As more research has been carried out, we have learned [...]
Earlier this year the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) released a revised Committee Opinion calling for a new paradigm for postpartum care in the United States. Moving away from the single postpartum check [...]
In 2015, we first reported on SAGE-547 (SAGE Therapeutics), a new medication for the treatment of severe postpartum depression (PPD). SAGE-547, now called brexanolone, is an allosteric modulator of GABAA receptors. This drug was initially [...]
A history of maternal psychiatric illness has been linked to postpartum depression (PPD), but this does not account for all instances of postpartum psychiatric illness. A recent study examined the impact of medical complications during [...]
When I meet with mothers of new babies, I often spend a fair amount of time delving into their beliefs about parenting and what they perceive as the “right” way to care for their new [...]
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a growth factor which acts on neurons in both the central and peripheral nervous systems, promoting the survival of neurons and promoting the growth and differentiation of new neurons and [...]
Few studies have examined the impact of past and recent abuse on breastfeeding behaviors. A recent study indicates that exposure to emotional, sexual or physical abuse (past or recent) is associated with earlier cessation of [...]
