Abstract
Background: The baby blues may be defined as a mild and transient depressive state occurring in newly delivered women. It is considered as the most precocious and benign emotional disorder of the puerperium. Objective: This study aimed at describing the epidemiological and clinical aspects of this condition in Cameroonian women. Method: A cross-sectional analysis of women recruited from January to April 2015 in two teaching hospitals of Yaounde, Cameroon was done. The survey covered 321 newly delivered women who answered the Kennerley and Gath blues questionnaire within the first ten days of postpartum. Demographic information, medical, obstetrical, psychosocial and neonatal data were equally obtained. Results: The prevalence of baby blues in our series was 33.3%, the greatest number of affected women experienced the condition after 4 days into postpartum. The most occurring symptoms were women being tearful (91 patients, 85%), ups and downs in the mood (89 patients, 83.2%), changeable in spirit (84 patients, 78.5%), being mentally tensed (70 patients, 65.4%), depressed (69 patients, 64.5%), and being anxious (65 patients, 60.7%). Conclusion: The baby blues is common in Cameroonian women, occurring in close to one mother out of three. Newly delivered women manifest with mild depressive symptoms which are transient, generally lasting for less than 10 days. The maximum incidence was reported on the 4th day of postpartum. It therefore appears that depressive states in mothers beyond 10 days after delivery may correspond to more serious psychiatric disorders of postpartum such as postpartum depression or psychosis and should be promptly managed. However, maternity preparatory classes should be implemented, prenatal counselling and psychological support reinforced, as prevention against the baby blues.
Highlights
The baby blues known as the postpartum blues or maternity blues is one of three major entities of postpartum psychic disorders, alongside postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis [1, 2]
The condition was first mentioned by Hippocrates in the 16th century before JC as part of “mother’s madness” but was later on clearly individualised, with clinical distinction made from other psychiatric disorders of postpartum [1]
The baby blues is common in Cameroonian women, occurring in close to one mother out of three
Summary
The baby blues known as the postpartum blues or maternity blues is one of three major entities of postpartum psychic disorders, alongside postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis [1, 2]. Health personnel counselling of mothers before and after delivery as part of preparation to maternity has been suggested as a good method for prevention [5, 6]. Such measures are not always implemented nor properly undertaken. The baby blues may be defined as a mild and transient depressive state occurring in newly delivered women. It is considered as the most precocious and benign emotional disorder of the puerperium. Results: The prevalence of baby blues in our series was 33.3%, the greatest number of affected women experienced the condition after 4 days into postpartum. Maternity preparatory classes should be implemented, prenatal counselling and psychological support reinforced, as prevention against the baby blues
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