Prevalence of postpartum blues and its impact on early breastfeeding - A cross sectional study

Title –Prevalence of Postpartum Blues and it’s impact on early breastfeeding –A cross sectional study.

Postpartum blue is a transient, mild mood disturbances such as mood swings , irritability ,sadness, tearfulness , anxiety along with sleep disturbances that occurs in days following childbirth which peaks around fifth day postpartum.

Postpartum blues interfere with the maternal-infant bonding and breastfeeding. Maternity blues is a strong warning sign of postpartum depression.This study will be conducted in KLES Dr Prabhakar Kore Hospital and MRC, Belagavi.

This will include postpartum women who recently delivered in past 1 week and are admitted in maternity ward of KLES Dr. Prabhakar Kore Hospital and MRC ,Belagavi and those who are willing to give consent.

Mothers with known psychiatric illness before pregnancy , mothers whose babies are suffering from debilitating medical illness , mothers whose babies are stillborn and mothers with substance use except nicotine use disorders are excluded from the study.

Data samples of all postpartum mothers will be collected ,their sociodemographic details will be taken. Following this they will be interviewed through a questionnaire to assesss postpartum blues. This data will be compared with mothers who have postpartum blues and those who do not have postpartum blues.

Later, Mothers will also be interviewed through a questionnaire to assess the impact of postpartum blues on  breatfeeding.This study will ultimately aim to promote timely interventions in mothers with postpartum blues and to give better postnatal care.