Newborn right-holding is related to depressive symptoms in bottle-feeding mothers but not in breastfeeding mothers

Abstract

This study examines the relationships between infant holding preferences and maternal depression according to the newborn feeding mode. Links between depression and infant holding biases have been observed in mothers [Vauclair, J., Scola, C. (in press). Dépression, alexithymie et latéralisation dans la façon de porter un nouveau-né [Infant holding biases in relation to depression, alexithymia and laterality]. Annales Médico-psychologiques; Weatherill, R. P., Almerigi, J. B., Levendosky, A. A., Bogat, G. A., von Eye, A., & Harris, L. J. (2004). Is maternal depression related to side of infant holding? International Journal of Behavioral Development, 28, 421-427] but the fact that breastfeeding has never been studied in relation to these two factors is surprising as breastfeeding has some influence on depression (e.g., [Mezzacappa, E. S., Guethlein, W., Vaz, N., & Bagiella, E. (2000). A preliminary study of breast-feeding and maternal symptomatology. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 22, 71-79]) and must also affect holding biases. Mothers who just gave birth (N=100) were tested few days after delivery. Measures of handedness, infant holding-side preferences, and level of depressive symptoms expressed by mothers (assessed with the CES-D scale) were collected via questionnaires. Asymmetries in emotional perception were assessed via a Chimeric Figure Task and a Dichotic Listening Task. Results showed that breastfeeding (1) reduced left-side bias for holding newborns and (2) was associated with lowest levels of depressive symptoms. Moreover, holding biases were related to maternal depression in bottle-feeding but not in breastfeeding mothers, namely that holding on the right-side while bottle-feeding was associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms. These results were not due to hemispheric specialization as auditory and visual asymmetries were similar between breastfeeding and bottle-feeding mothers. The discussion emphasizes the striking role of the early mother/child relationship's establishment on infant holding biases.

Reversible dilated cardiomyopathy caused by hypothyroidism

“…A pericardial effusion is the most frequent cardiac manifestation. Hypothyroidism is associated with an increased risk for atherosclerosis and ischemic heart disease and is now considered as proatherosclerosis factor[6,7]. Many of the cardiac manifestations of thyroid dysfunction are associated with alterations in T3-mediated gene expression 8.…”

Holding-side influences on infant's view of mother's face

“…The question is whether this might influence the mother's psychological well-being. The fact that there is a clear association between depression and right-arm cradling (e.g., Weatherill et al, 2004), and that one study investigating cradling preference found this association in bottle-feeding but not in breast-feeding mothers who often hold their infant on the left arm as well (Donnot, Vauclair, & Brejard, 2008), does indeed suggest such a connection, although the causal relation may just as well be the other way around (i.e., negative affect causing right-holding preference). If decrements in infant's face visibility from the mother's point of view do indeed aggravate or even cause negative maternal affect, the consequences could be serious for the child as well (for a recent review, see Wachs, Black, & Engle, 2009).…”

What is the Significance of Leftward Cradling Bias?

“…Examination of cradling bias during bottle feeding in clinically depressed mothers demonstrated a tendency of the mother to cradle her baby to the right. The authors concluded that cradling behaviour in this circumstance was not due to a hemispheric Specialization, but rather those higher levels of depression were associated in some other way with influencing cradling while bottlefeeding [38].…”

“…The theory being explored proposed that breast feeding positioning preferences were the causal factor in leftward cradling. An investigation by Donnot et al [38] explored the behaviours of cradling by depressed mothers during feeding using both bottle-feeding and breast-feeding as variables. The subjects in the study were divided into two groups consisting of mothers who had been diagnosed as depressed, and those who had not.…”