New Mothers and Suicidal Thinking

New mothers who were severely depressed and their babies were recently studied. The mothers suffered from depression, isolation, and extreme difficulties in parenting their infants.Many of these mothers believed that their babies were better off without them, wanted to die, wished to hurt themselves, and felt that killing themselves was the only way out of their terrible situation.

Additionally, these women felt anxious, mentally confused, felt a greater loss of self as a result of having a child, and were more emotionally labile. Importantly, the women felt guilty for feeling poorly after the birth of their child. This is especially important for those who previously experienced infertility and think they should feel happy and grateful that they were able to conceive and give birth.

The women who were studied believed they were less prepared for mothering and were not reacting to the cues their infants gave. Furthermore, their children smiled infrequently and were more fussy than other infants. The depressed mothers were less engaged with their children and were somewhat passive in their styles of mothering.

The study concluded that although the mothers may have been somewhat prepared for the birth of their babies, they were not emotionally prepared and discounted that their lives would need to substantially change. Women who experience postpartum depression can benefit from seeing a psychologist to help them adjust to the new dynamics of their family. Psychologists can help new mothers structure their day, identify tasks that need to be completed each day, and offer guidance about how to tap into their babies' needs so that they can be more attuned to their child. Moreover, learning how and when to tap into their social support system is essential.