Over the past three years, I’ve been carrying out an intervention for South Asian immigrant mothers (from Bangladesh, Pakistani and India). We’re trying to address feeding problems in South Asian families that may increase children’s risks of obesity and diabetes. One factor that really affects the quality of children’s feeding is the mother’s mood. When mothers are depressed, children’s nutrition suffers. In societies where food is scarce and expensive, children of depressed mothers tend to be malnourished. In societies like ours, where food is overly plentiful and not very nutritious, depressed moms have overweight kids. See a link to my study here https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5984363/.
We’ve been learning a lot about distress and depression in the post-partum period while conducting this study. One thing we’ve noticed: A lot of our immigrant Moms feel distressed. They may not call it depression. In fact, they may feel a lot of different symptoms, especially irritability and exhaustion. But one symptom that that all most all distressed Moms report is loneliness.
When the media talks about postpartum depression, there’s always a lot of focus on hormones. But actually, there is no consistent evidence that fluctuations in hormones cause post-partum distress and depression. To the contrary, there is plenty of evidence that a lack of support, lack of companionship, and simple loneliness are a major cause of this problem.
Our immigrant moms miss their own mothers very much, along with the extended family network of siblings, cousins, and aunts and uncles. Mothers who are caring for their second child, alone in a small apartment, often talk about what it was like to have their first baby back home, surrounded by caring relatives, and never having to lift a finger.
For immigrants and non-immigrant mothers alike, companionship and support may be the very best treatment for postpartum depression. That may be one reasons why more and more women are working with doulas, or birth attendants, in the post-partum period. https://www.wbur.org/commonhealth/2014/06/20/best-kept-secret-for-postpartum-depression-help-at-home.
If you are feeling post-partum distress—sadness, anxiety, or excessive guilt—you may also want to consider psychotherapy. Working with a skilled therapist can help you navigate this challenging period. Reach out to me at 718-858-7968 to schedule a consultation.
