Association of birth of girls with postnatal depression and exclusive breastfeeding: an observational study

Abstract

Objectives and hypothesisTo examine the influence of gender of the baby on exclusive breastfeeding and incidence of postnatal depression (PND). We hypothesise that in a society with a male gender bias there may be more PND and less exclusive breastfeeding of the girl child.DesignProspective study.SettingThe study was conducted in an urban, tertiary hospital in Delhi.ParticipantsMothers delivering normally with their babies roomed-in.1537 eligible women participated in the study.Primary and secondary outcome measuresExclusive breastfeeding within the first 48 h of life and score on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) were recorded.Results3466 babies were born in the hospital. There were 792 girls for every 1000 boys. Among primiparous women, the sex ratio was 901 girls per 1000 boys. For second babies, the sex ratio was 737:1000. If the first child was a girl the birth ratio fell to 632. 1026 mothers were exclusively breastfeeding. Exclusive breastfeeding of boys was significantly higher (70.8% vs 61.5%, p<0.001). The EPDS score was significantly higher with the birth of girls (EPDS 6.0±3.39 vs 5.4±2.87, p<0.01). Women with an EPDS score >11 were less likely to exclusively breastfeed (p<0.01).ConclusionsThe results point to a pro-male gender bias evidenced by a low sex ratio at birth, higher EPDS score in mothers of girls and less breastfeeding of female children.

Exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life and its associated factors among children age 6-24 months in Burao district, Somaliland

“…A female child was 52% less likely to be exclusively breastfeed than male child. A similar finding was found in a study done in India [21]. However, this finding is not consistent with study done in Nigeria [15].…”

Cross-National Differences in Psychosocial Factors of Perinatal Depression: A Systematic Review of India and Japan

“…Out of these, text screening yielded 20 (17%) papers on India and 67 papers (8%) on Japan. Finally, 15 papers (13%) on India [ 10 , 13 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 ] and 35 papers (4%) on Japan [ 7 , 8 , 9 , 14 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 ] were included in the review. Thirty-seven papers (India, n = 5; Japan, n = 32) were excluded because they did not...…”

The humanistic burden of postpartum depression: a systematic literature review

“…Several studies found that there was an association between symptoms of PPD and negative effects on breastfeeding 33,34,37,40,47,50,52, . Specifically, an increasing EPDS score after delivery was significantly associated with breastfeeding cessation at 12-14 weeks postpartum 52 , and lower rates of exclusive breastfeeding 33,34,47,50 . One study that examined parenting practices at 3 months postpartum in women with symptoms of PPD (EPDS !10) found a significant negative impact on parental safety practices compared with women who did not have symptoms of PPD, including the use of back sleep positions (p ¼ 0.0001), use of a car seat (p ¼ 0.006), and ensuring a working smoke alarm at home (p ¼ 0.0006) 31 .…”