Women who had sore nipples were not interested in breastfeeding because it was hurtful. With age, young mothers did not have much knowledge or experience, so they would panic often when experiencing difficulties and feel left out, guilty, embarrassed, stressed because they saw other mothers easily completing the process or tasks of breastfeeding. “Women who have negative breastfeeding experiences are at a greater risk of developing PPD, which means it will lead to early cessation of breastfeeding and put the mothers at a greater risk of depression and anxiety”
(Olson, Holtslander, & Bowen, 2014, p. 9). Olson et al. (2014), interviewed five postpartum mothers, and majority admitted of experiencing PPD after discontinuation of breastfeeding. In addition, Mathisen et al. (2013) did a study with 86 women who completed the Edinburgh
Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). EPDS is a tool to detect depressive symptoms in women who recently gave birth. The results showed that women who had incomplete breastfeeding scored higher on EPDS, which means they had more depressive symptoms. The main focus of this paper is to discuss how to prevent PPD. Brand et al. (2011) also discussed about …show more content…
Single women do not have support system, which puts them at a greater risk of PPD, because it decreases the duration of breastfeeding.
The main cause of PPD is related to stress and early cessation of breastfeeding, for which the couples are comfortable discussing to HCPs and opt out for appropriate treatment needed. In addition to psychosocial, PPD can have psychological effects as well. It is very essential for the HCP to assess the female for symptoms of depression and treat the disabling disorder. To begin with, the leading intervention is the provision of proper social support from the spouse, family member, and friends. In initial stages of PPD, the women will have decreased self-efficacy and it will slowly start to influence women’s emotions and feelings of well-being. Kuosmanen, Vuorilehto, Kumpuniemi, & Melartin (2010), discussed about screening and treatment in maternity and child health clinics, which focused on positive support from the family and friends that will effectively reduce the stress related to PPD. Moreover, the support from spouse will make the woman feel more positive about themselves. The second intervention that could be helpful is educating antepartum mothers about the benefits of breastfeeding for both the mother and infant, so that they will understand the consequences of not breastfeeding the infant. The third intervention is that the mother can have follow up visits with the mental health nurse to