Natural Childbirth Moms More Attuned to Babies' Cry
Finding may help shed light on postpartum depression in those choosing Caesareans
Source: HealthDay News Source: 9/17/08
Mothers who delivered their babies vaginally appear
to be much more sensitive to
the cry of their own child within a few
weeks of the birth compared with those who deliver by Caesarean
section, a new study shows.
The finding, published in The Journal of Child Psychology and
Psychiatry, give researchers insight into why postpartum depression
seems to be linked more often to Caesarean birth.
The researchers based their findings on MRI scans that show heightened
activity in the sections of the brain thought to regulate emotions,
motivation and habitual behaviors. They believe this may be because
vaginal childbirth involves the release of oxytocin -- a key mediator
of maternal behavior in animals -- from the posterior pituitary,
uterine contractions and vagino-cervical stimulation.
The researchers also studied areas of the brain affected by delivery
conditions and found ties between brain activity and measures of mood.
This suggests that some of the same brain regions may help regulate
postpartum mood.
"As more women opt to wait until they are older to have children, and
by association be more likely to have a Caesarean-section delivery,
these results are important, because they could provide better
understanding of the basic neurophysiology and psychology of
parent-infant attachment," lead author James Swain, of Yale
University's Child Study Centre, said in a news release issued by the
journal's publisher. "This work could lead to early detection of
families at risk for postpartum depression and attachment problems and
form a model for testing interventions."
Caesarean delivery, which occurs via incisions in the abdominal and
uterine wall, is required at times to protect the health or survival of
infant or mother. The procedure's use has increased in the United
States dramatically, from 4.5 percent of all deliveries in 1965 to a
recent high in 2006 of 29.1 percent.
HealthDay
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