Postpartum Research Paper

Early diagnosis of postpartum depression is very important because it has an effect on how an infant is progressed early on in life, but what is more important is it can also affect how that child grows emotionally later on in life. The health of an infant is determined by the work that parents put in, and a depressed mother is sometimes unable to provide what is needed. As a child grows they tend to mimic the emotions that they see and with a depressed mother those emotions can effect how that child develops. This is why it is essential to implement screenings for all mothers before leaving the hospital and also at their check-up visits. The key to correcting this problem is realizing that it is something that can affect any mother no matter …show more content…
“Mothers who suffered from depressive symptoms postpartum were nearly three times as likely to report having symptoms of depression 12 years later,”(Agnafors). Children mimic their parents. It is evidenced by the old saying “do as I say and not as I do,” but generation after generation that saying has been proven not to work. Children will always mimic the person that they look up to the most, and that tends to be a parent. Research proves that a “mother’s depressive symptoms at the child’s age of 12 more than quadrupled the risk of externalizing problems in the children,” (Agnafors). This is why it is essential to stress to new mothers about knowing the signs of depression so they are able to seek treatment when they notice them. This could help prevent many behavioral problem that children have. The start to addressing this issue begins with nurses. Many cases of postpartum depression are gone undiagnosed, and therefore untreated. There are many tools nurses can use to diagnose postpartum depression that need to be enforced more often. New mothers should be screened before leaving the hospital and also at baby checkup