Background: To this date most studies have been focused on the influence of clinical depression and psychotic reactions during the postnatal period on mother-infant interaction, therefore this study examined the effects of maternal depressive mood in the postnatal period on mother-infant verbal and non-verbal communication. Method: Seventy two mother-infant dyads participated in the study. Eighteen infants of mothers with depressive mood and 18 controls were seen when they were 6 months old; and eighteen infants of mothers with depressive mood and 18 controls were seen when they were 10 months old. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) was used as a mean to assess maternal depressive mood. Tactile, verbal, and gaze behaviours of mothers and their infants when playing face-to-face during pleasure- and surprise-eliciting situations were coded using micro-analytic techniques. The behaviours of infants of mothers with symptoms of depression were also coded during interactions with a female unfamiliar adult (stranger) during a pleasure-eliciting situation. Results: The patterns of communication in non-depressed mother-infant dyads were appropriate to infants’ developmental age. However, maternal symptoms of depression as outlined by the EPDS appeared to somewhat hinder mothers’ ability to attend to infants’ developmental needs and communicate appropriately through touch, speech, and gaze; as well as infants’ capacity for positive emotional regulation, exploration of the toy, and gaze directed to their mothers during play interactions. Conclusions: These results suggest that maternal depressive mood is potentially a risk factor for difficulties in mother-infant communication during the first year postpartum. The mothers’ mood state and their infants’ age influence the type, frequency, and duration of touch, speech, and gaze during early interactions. Such findings are discussed considering a bi-directional influence in the development of communicative responses between mothers and infants across time.

New mothers often complain of impaired cognitive functioning, and it is well documented that women experience a significant increase in sleep disturbance after the birth of a child. Sleep disturbance has been linked to impaired cognitive performance in several populations, including commercial truck drivers, airline pilots, and medical residents, though this relationship has rarely been studied in postpartum women. In the present study 13 pregnant women and a group of 22 non-pregnant controls completed one week of actigraphy followed by a battery of neuropsychological tests and questionnaires in the last month of pregnancy (Time 1) and again at four weeks postpartum (Time 2). Pregnant women experienced significantly more objective and subjective sleep disturbance than the control group at both time points. They also demonstrated more impairment in objective, but not subjective cognitive functioning. Preliminary analyses indicated increased objective sleep fragmentation from Time 1 to Time 2 predicted decreased objective cognitive performance from Time 1 to Time 2, though small sample size limited the power of these findings. Implications for perinatal women and need for future research were discussed.

Thèse numérisée par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

Master of Science / Department of Clinical Sciences / Bob L. Larson / The 2007 NAHMS (National Animal Health Monitoring System) survey indicated that early lactation health issues are major factors influencing reproduction and culling on U.S. dairy herds. The objective of this study was to evaluate fresh-cow health during the first 30 days in milk, and its association with days to pregnancy in the concurrent lactation. Data were collected on cattle that calved over a two month period (July and August 2009) on a dairy farm located in the Upper Midwest region of the U.S. Health and production data were collected daily for each cow from the beginning of lactation until the majority of the study population was confirmed pregnant. Both a competing risk analysis and a semi-parametric Cox regression model were used to test the association between specific health-related events and days to pregnancy and the outcomes of the two models were compared. These analyses showed metritis and dystocia in the first 30 days of lactation were associated with greater days to pregnancy. The only difference noted between parities was that lactation-five and greater cows were significantly associated with greater days to pregnancy. The two analyses showed conflicting significance of association between retained placenta, ketosis, twinning, lameness, and other non-specific illnesses with days to pregnancy. This study found that a competing risk analysis and a semi-parametric regression model were appropriate methods to analyze time sensitive data such as reproductive efficiency. This study supports the evidence that parity, metritis, retained placenta, ketosis, dystocia, twinning, lameness, and other non-specific illnesses can have an impact on reproductive efficiency.

Magister Curationis - MCur / Background: Postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) is one of the most preventable causes of maternal death, yet it still ranks as one of the main conditions responsible for maternal mortality. PPH occurs at a stage when a mother is the least likely to receive care, and mothers often do not survive to be referred to a more specialised level of care. This is compounded by the patient not being able to warn healthcare providers timeously about their condition and healthcare providers lacking training resulting in a lack of accuracy in diagnosis, lack of resources, and differing methods of treatment. Due to the lack of consensus in available treatment options, and the paucity of research aimed at clinical interventions for midwives at the primary care level, this research report aimed to investigate the evidence in order to establish the best practices and evidence for clinical interventions to manage postpartum haemorrhage for midwives at the primary care level. This is to ensure that the continuing education for midwives in practice is based on evidence to keep their skill set current and expose practitioners to the latest evidence based care. Aim: To systematically review all available published evidence for the acute non-pharmaceutical, non-surgical, management of PPH for use by midwives at a primary maternity care setting.

Postpartum depression är psykisk ohälsa som drabbar mer än var tionde kvinna i Sverige. Tidigare studier har även visat att distriktsköterskans vårdmöten med nyblivna mammor på barnavårdscentralen är betydande. Låg bemanning inom barnhälsovården har rapporterats. Syftet med studien är att beskriva distriktsköterskans vårdmöte med nyblivna mammor på barnavårdscentralen och i hemmet för att kunna bedöma risken för postpartum depression. För att genomföra studien har en kvalitativ intervjustudie genomförts. Sju distriktssköterskor med varierande erfarenhet ingår. Datamaterialet har analyserats med innehållsanalys som resulterade i följande fyra generiska kategorier: Fokus på familjen, Arbeta förebyggande, Öppet förhållningsätt och Tvärprofessionellt arbete. Huvudkategorin beskrivs som Ett försiktigt förhållningssätt som inkluderar hela familjen och bygger på tvärprofessionell samverkan. För att uppmärksamma små och tidiga tecken på ohälsa hos mammor i riskzonen för postpartum depression krävs ett vårdande förhållningssätt som karaktäriseras av försiktighet och varsamhet i vårdmötet. Hela familjen inkluderas på ett naturligt sätt från första mötet på barnavårdscentralen eller i hemmet. Förhållningssättet bygger på tvärprofessionell samverkan där distriktssköterskan samarbetar med kollegor som representerar olika specialistkompetenser och beslut tas i samförstånd. Centralt är att skapa en inbjudande miljö för att möjliggöra ett vårdande möte. Slutsatsen är att distriktsköterskans möte med mammor i riskzonen för postpartum depression kräver kollegialt stöd för avgörande beslut. Stress och en tung arbetsbörda i kombination med oro för att missa tecken på psykisk ohälsa hos mammor i riskzonen har synliggjorts.

O consumo de álcool durante a gestação tem sido associado na literatura científica a uma maior intensidade de sofrimento psiquiátrico durante a gestação e no pós-parto. Este estudo teve como objetivo principal verificar se o consumo de álcool em gestantes está relacionado a um aumento de sintomas depressivos e/ou ao diagnóstico de depressão no pós-parto. Para tal foi realizado um estudo prospectivo, com dois tempos de coleta de dados. Foram convidadas a participar gestantes da rede pública de saúde da cidade de Juiz de Fora/MG. Inicialmente foram entrevistadas 260 mulheres no terceiro trimestre gestacional, das quais 177 foram entrevistadas entre 15 dias a 3 meses após o parto. Para avaliação do uso de álcool durante a gestação foram utilizados os instrumentos T-ACE (Tolerance, Annoyed, Cut down, Eye opener) e AUDIT C (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test C), além do relato das gestantes sobre a quantidade de álcool ingerida durante toda a gestação. Para avaliação de sintomas depressivos no pós-parto foi utilizado o instrumento EPDS (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale) e para o diagnóstico de Episódio Depressivo Maior foi utilizada a entrevista diagnóstica MINI (Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview). Os resultados obtidos apontaram para um aumento de sintomas depressivos no pós-parto proporcional ao aumento do consumo de álcool durante a gestação medido pelo total do AUDIT C (Spearman Correlation, r=0,251; p<0,001) e pelo total em gramas de álcool consumido durante toda a gestação (Spearman Correlation, r=0,185; p=0,01). Além disso, foi observado uma maior prevalência de depressão pós-parto entre as mulheres que tiveram pelo menos um binge alcoólico durante a gestação (Non-parametric Chi-Square, value=88,28, p< 0,001). Os dados apresentados permitem concluir que existe um aumento de sintomatologia depressiva no pós-parto à medida que aumenta o consumo de álcool na gestação e aumento de diagnóstico para aquelas que tiveram pelo menos um binge alcoólico durante a gestação. / Alcohol consumption during pregnancy, according to the scientific literature, has been associated to a higher intensity of psychiatric problems during the gestational period as well in the postpartum period. This study aimed to verify whether alcohol consumption in pregnancy is related to an increase of depressive symptoms and/or the diagnosis of depression in the postpartum period. For this purpose a prospective study was carried out, with two phases of data collection. Pregnant women assisted by public health services of the city of Juiz de Fora /MG were invited to participate. Initially 260 women in the third gestational trimester have been interviewed. For the second phase 177 were interviewed between 15 days to three months after childbirth. To assess alcohol use during the gestational period the research instruments T-ACE (Tolerance, Annoyed, Cut down, Eye-opener) and AUDIT C (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test C) have been used, besides of direct reports of the pregnant women about the amount of alcohol ingested during all the gestation. To evaluate postpartum depressive symptoms the instrument EPDS (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale) was used and to determine the presence of a diagnosis of Major Depressive Episode the diagnostic interview MINI (Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview) was used. The results pointed out to an increase of postpartum depressive symptoms proportional to the increase of alcohol consumption during the gestation measured by the total score of the AUDIT C (Spearman Correlation, r=0,251; p<0,001) and by the total amount (in grams) of alcohol ingested during all the gestational period (Spearman Correlation, r=0,185; p=0,01). Further, a higher prevalence of postpartum depression was found among the pregnant women who reported at least once a binge episode during the gestational period (Nonparametric Chi-Square, value=88,28; p< 0,001). The presented data allow concluding about the occurrence of an increase of depressive symptoms in the postpartum period related to higher alcohol consumption in pregnancy as well an increase of diagnosis among those pregnant women who have had at least one binge episode during all the gestational period.

A depressão pós-parto é um transtorno mental de alta prevalência que surge nas primeiras semanas, após o parto, e provoca alterações emocionais, cognitivas comportamentais e físicas. Mães adolescentes apresentam risco aumentado para a depressão pós-parto. Estudos mostram que a prática do aleitamento materno não se dá de forma efetiva nos casos em que a nutriz apresenta alterações emocionais. Diante do exposto, buscamos compreender quais as representações sociais sobre amamentação na perspectiva de mães adolescentes com sintomas de depressão pós-parto. Trata-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa, desenvolvida com 14 mulheres, mães de crianças com até um ano de idade e usuárias de um serviço público de saúde de Ribeirão Preto-SP. A primeira etapa consistiu na aplicação da Escala de Depressão Pós-natal de Edimburgo para rastrear as mães adolescentes que apresentavam sintomas de depressão, no puerpério. As mães que apresentavam pontuação de 12 ou mais pontos eram convidadas a continuar a participar do estudo. Para as mulheres que aceitavam ser incluídas na pesquisa, foram aplicados questionário sociodemográfico e a entrevista semiestruturada que foram gravados e transcritos na íntegra e realizados no local de escolha da participante. Para a análise dos dados, utilizamos o Método de Interpretação dos Sentidos à luz das representações sociais na perspectiva socioantropológica. Emergiram três categorias temáticas: 1) \"Ser mãe na adolescência com sintomas de depressão no pós-parto\"; 2) \"Amamentando na adolescência com sintomas de depressão no pós-parto\"; 3) \"A rede de apoio: eu e a amamentação\". A gravidez é considerada indesejada no contexto investigado, pois é vista como empecilho para se dar continuidade à vida. E isto se reflete negativamente na amamentação, visto que, há dificuldades para se desempenhar papéis maternos, nesse momento da vida. Com relação à amamentação, observamos que os conhecimentos se restringem aos aspectos nutricionais e imunológicos, sendo desconsiderados os aspectos relacionais e de construção de vínculo da prática de amamentar. Este pensamento se justifica quando fazemos um olhar para o modo como as participantes se sentem somado ao contexto cultural em que vivem, um meio que trata a amamentação como mera prática de alimentação infantil. Há a ideia de que o leite materno é fraco, sendo a mamadeira vista como uma aliada, pois além de proporcionar sensação de saciedade do bebê por mais tempo, ainda impede que ele chore e incomode principalmente no período noturno, já no período diurno evita constrangimentos por ter de amamentar em locais públicos e pode ser oferecida por outra pessoa. A mamadeira é algo que proporciona sensação de liberdade, ocasionando a independência do bebê em relação à mãe. A mulher tem como maior fonte de influência e apoio sua mãe, o parceiro ainda permanece distante à realidade da amamentação e o profissional de saúde oferece orientações pontuais, nas quais desconsideram os contextos de vida nas quais as adolescentes estão inseridas. A internet é usada para se ter conhecimento, sendo considerada veículo de forte influência. Mesmo com apoio materno, a mulher ainda permanece sozinha, com dificuldades para falar sobre sua real situação emocional e sobre suas limitações para amamentar / Postpartum depression is a mental disorder of high prevalence that arises in the first weeks after childbirth and causes emotional, cognitive, behavioral and physical changes. Adolescent mothers present an increased risk for postpartum depression. Studies show that the practice of breastfeeding does not occur effectively in cases where the mother presents emotional changes. In view of the above, we aimed to understand which are the social representations regarding breastfeeding, in the perspective of adolescent mothers with symptoms of postpartum depression. This is a qualitative research conducted with 14 women, mothers of children up to one year of age and users of a public health service in Ribeirão Preto - SP. The first phase consisted in the application of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale for screening adolescent mothers with symptoms of depression in the puerperal period. Mothers who achieved a score of 12 or more were invited to proceed participating in the research. For those who accepted to be included, socio demographic questionnaires were applied and, semi- structured interviews were conducted and recorded in a participant\'s choice location and then, fully transcribed. For the data analysis, we used the Interpretation of the Meaning Method, in accordance with the social representations in a socio anthropological approach. Three thematic categories emerged: 1) \"Being a mother in adolescence with symptoms of postpartum depression\"; 2) \"Breastfeeding in adolescence with symptoms of postpartum depression\"; 3) \"The network support: the breastfeeding and I.\" Pregnancy is considered undesirable in the context investigated, as it is seen as an impediment to give continuity to life. And this reflects negatively on breastfeeding, since there are difficulties to play maternal roles at this moment of life. Regarding breastfeeding, we observed that adolescent mother\'s knowledge is restricted to nutritional and immunological aspects, and the relational and building link aspects of breastfeeding practice are not considered. This thought is justified when observed how the participants feel in their cultural context, in which they deal with breastfeeding as a simple infant feeding practice. There is the idea that breast milk is weak, and the bottle is seen as an allied, since, as well as providing baby satiety feeling for longer, still prevents him to cry and bother, especially at night. Even during the day, the bottle avoids embarrassments when breastfeeding in public places and it can be offered by someone else. It is something that gives sense of freedom, causing the baby\'s independence from the mother. The woman has the greatest source of influence and support in her mother, while her partner remains distant to the reality of breastfeeding and the health professional provides specific guidelines in which disregards the life contexts in which the adolescents live. Internet is used in order to acquire knowledge, being considered vehicle of strong influence. Even with maternal support, the woman remains alone, struggling to talk about her real emotional situation and limitations to breastfeed. Thus, the social representations that support the breastfeeding practice, for these adolescents, bring with them the ambiguity of willing to give the best for your child - the breast milk, but also the will to be free and independent in life

Postpartum weight retention is commonly considered an important precursor to long-term weight gain, with existing research suggesting that failure to lose weight in postpartum has significant future health implications. While postpartum has been identified as a possible ‘window of opportunity’ for women to make health behaviour change and manage their weight, it remains unclear how mothers, and in particular ‘large’ (BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2) mothers, experience health and engage with health-related behaviours at this particular point in the life course. Existing research has done little to enhance our understandings of the lived, embodied and practical realities of caring for an infant and, crucially, how this impacts health and weight management during the postpartum period. In addition, qualitative research focusing on postpartum has largely ignored the temporal dimensions of this period and, instead, has tended to focus attentions on a single ‘snapshot’ in time. To address these gaps in the literature, this study employed longitudinal qualitative methodology to explore 15 ‘large’ (BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2) women’s lived experience of health and weight management over the first six months following childbirth. Participants were recruited from a specialist antenatal metabolic clinic based in Edinburgh, Scotland. When possible, three in-depth semi-structured interviews were carried out with each participant: the first at six weeks postpartum, the second at three months and, the third at six months postpartum. Both six weeks and six months have consistently been identified in the literature as important markers for postpartum women. Hence, it was hoped that by interviewing at these and an intervening time point (i.e. three months) it would be possible to capture and understand processes of change with regards to weight management in the postpartum period. The analysis revealed that accounts of health and weight were far from straightforward and seemed to be heavily influenced by the wider social context, which routinely pathologises, demonises and stigmatises ‘fatness’. Challenging contemporary discourses of the ‘obesity epidemic’ which frame the large body as a direct consequence of individual lifestyle, participants principally drew upon lay notions of inheritance and implicated a genetic predisposition to resist individual responsibility for weight and body size. The analysis suggests that concerns for health were largely predicated on subjective experiences and, in the absence of tangible and embodied experiences of ill-health, participants expressed little if any impetus to engage in weight management for the purpose of improving their health. In short, the idea that their weight was an indicator of poor health, or future health risk, was not a view shared by participants. Instead, they expressed more complex understandings of their weight, and their responsibilities to engage in health changing behaviour. Despite articulating often strong desires to engage in weight management ‘for the baby’, the longitudinal focus revealed a disjuncture between these intentions and the reality of those engagements. Influential in this discordance was the transition from an intensely medicalised and closely monitored pregnancy, to a period of minimal or no follow up in postpartum. The lack of ‘surveillance’ appeared to have a notable impact on participants’ engagements with health-related behaviours once at home and going about the day-to-day tasks of caring for their infant. Dominant discourses around ‘good’ mothering also made it difficult for participants to prioritise their own needs (such as weight management) ahead of those of their children and other family members. When participants reflected on their experiences of mothering they frequently drew upon understandings of themselves as relational beings and, at times, positioned themselves as phenomenologically inseparable from their baby. This relationality was often experienced as a diminishing of individual autonomy, as the body of the mother and the baby became inter-embodied and bounded. Consequently, my analysis serves to problematise the individualised expectation surrounding a mother’s ability to act autonomously and engage in health-related behaviours in postpartum. These findings also call for a stronger appreciation to be developed of the complexities surrounding engagements with health-related behaviours at this particular point in the life course. In particular this research demonstrates the importance and utility of adopting a more embodied approach, which in turn has some notable implications for public health policy and practice.