Lactation Support Can Help Fend Off Postpartum Depression

Postpartum depression, which affects 13% of mothers during the first 12 weeks postpartum, adversely affects infant development and can result in adverse outcomes including maternal suicide. To examine how mothers' early breast-feeding experiences affect risk for postpartum depression, investigators analyzed data from the CDC's nationally representative Infant Feeding Practices Study II that was prospectively collected from 2586 mothers who reported ever breast-feeding.

At 1 week postpartum, only 2% of mothers reported no pain with breast-feeding, and 23% reported severe pain; at 2 weeks, 11% of mothers reported no pain, and 12% reported severe pain. Women who experienced severe pain during their first 2 weeks of breast-feeding were twice as …