News Scan for Mar 15, 2022

Study notes postpartum depression in new moms early in pandemicMore than a third of new mothers early in the COVID-19 pandemic had symptoms of postpartum (after-birth) depression—nearly triple pre-pandemic levels—and one in five had major depressive symptoms, with symptoms for both disorders higher in women who fed their babies formula, according to a study yesterday in BMC Research Notes.Researchers from the University of Michigan (U-M) School of Nursing analyzed survey data from 670 postpartum women who completed the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and answered other questions from February through July 2020.

The team also collected demographic data that included neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission, infant gestational age, and baby feeding methods.Of the participants, 38% (256 women) screened positive for postpartum depression (score ≥ 10 or admitted to thoughts of self-harm) and 21.8% (146) screened positive for major depressive symptoms (score ≥ 13 or had self-harm thoughts).

In total, 51 respondents (7.6%) said they had thoughts of self-harm.Respondents who fed their infants formula had 92% greater odds of screening positive for postpartum depression and were 73% more likely to screen positive for major depressive symptoms compared to those who breastfed or bottle-fed with their own human milk.The researchers also found that moms of NICU babies had 74% greater odds of screening positive for postpartum depression, and moms worried about contracting COVID-19 had 71% greater odds.

Before COVID, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that 1 in 8 women experienced postpartum depression, and about 5% to 7% experienced major depressive symptoms, first author Clayton Shuman, PhD, MSN,