Mothers of twins more likely to develop post-natal depression
A new poll has shown that nearly 20% of mothers of twins and triplets experience post-natal depression, reports the Telegraph today.
The survey of more than 1000 mothers carried out by the Twins and Multiple Births Association (Tamba) found that 17% of mothers who had multiple births experienced post-natal depression, possibly due to most birth preparation and ante-natal classes being geared towards single births.
Half of those surveyed also said they spent less than an hour a day talking to other adults, leading to feelings of isolation. The research showed that causes for post-natal depression may include experiencing depression before, being a single mother, or experiencing complications during the birth.
Judi Linney, president of Tamba said: “At present, many families struggle because not all of the NHS is sufficiently informed and equipped to meet the challenges of multiple births and pregnancies. Simple steps like improving access to multiple-specific parent education and providing practical support during the early days would do much to promote the health and wellbeing of mothers and their babies, and we call on the Government to ensure this happens.”
April 17th, 2009 at 3:01 am
Wow, interesting study. Perhaps this will lead to more resources being put into multiple birth pregnancies.