Nicole Jaquette

Professor Stacy Silver

Sociology 30H

April 3, 2018

The Emotional Effects of Babies

Introduction

Having a child is one of the most beautiful and natural things a parent can go through in

their lifetime. Some people even describe their experience as magical. However, child birth is

definitely a glorified and sugar-coated process. The bare naked truth of the child birthing process

is that it isn’t all magic and sparkly babies. There are serious risks and consequences to all sides

of this process. The emotional well-being of the mother after their first baby can change

drastically. There are risks of postpartum depression, anxiety, PTSD, and even psychosis. The

baby can also be in danger of experiencing the repercussions of overly tired parents. The

parent’s emotional and physical relationship can also suffer after having a first baby. How

having a first baby affects mothers’ emotional well-being is a question which needs to be

researched further in order to discuss.

How mothers are emotionally affected after birth

General Emotions

A lot of women experience fluctuating emotions after giving birth. After all, there are

excesses of hormones being pumped through their bodies. A common misdiagnosis is that the

mother is generally feeling happy or sad, calm or anxious. The reality is, as with all mental

illness, it is not that simple. Wilkinson conducted research which concluded that after birth, a

mother feels more like a mixture of positive and negative forms of all emotions, rather than

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purely anxiety and worry (Wilkinson 2007). It is understandable that they have mood swings or

seem a little out of character. After all, it is one of the most emotional times of a woman’s life.

The Accentuation Principle states that after a woman gives birth, her emotions don’t change, but

are amplified in all areas (Hoffenaar et al. 2010). If a woman feels anxious during pregnancy,

then she will feel extra anxious after birth. If a woman is especially caring and nurturing, then

that feature will be amplified after she gives birth. This being said, some emotional effects are so

common that they can be better characterized as baby blues or postpartum depression.

Baby Blues

Most people have heard of the baby blues and even more have probably experienced it. It

is important to note that the baby blues are exponentially different than postpartum

depression. For starters, the baby blues are much milder. They are defined as when a new mom

feels more sensitive, lonely, cries unexpectedly, and for no reason, has mood swings, and is more

irritable than most new moms (Wilkinson 2007). This is caused by the extra hormones that all

new moms have, but one that experiences baby blues reacts to them differently. Roughly 50% of

new moms experience this short burst of “blues.” It will usually go away within a few days

postpartum. A survey was conducted with 123 new moms, and of those, 58% were found to be

suffering from the “baby blues” (Manjunath et al. 2011), which supports the national average.

Postpartum Depression

On a much more serious note, postpartum depression can set in anywhere from 4-6 weeks

after birth and roughly 10-15% of new moms experience it, and in lower income populations,

anywhere from 23-52% of women experience this (Thompson et al. 2010). If not treated

correctly, it can have lasting effects for up to one year. Postpartum depression is accompanied by

slowed speech, less eye contact, less physical contact, and less affection. All of these are harmful

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for the mother, but they are even more harmful to the baby. During the first few months of life, it

is crucial for the baby to bond with his/her mother. This becomes increasingly difficult with

decreased eye contact and affection, two things which are necessary for babies and were found in

nearly every study conducted (Thompson et al. 2010). With PPD being as common as it is, there

are some warning signs during the pregnancy which can lead to early prevention or intervention.

If a woman is prone to anxiety or depression prior to pregnancy, she is at a much greater risk for

postpartum depression. The parent’s attitude toward the birth of the child can also be a precursor.

If the parents are dreading or not ready for the baby, then depression is also more likely. Also, if

the father is excited at the baby, then the mother is also more likely to be excited about the baby

and therefore less at risk for PPD (Schetter et al. 2012). Even though postpartum depression is

one of the more common and most well-known emotional issues a woman can face after giving

birth, it certainly isn’t the only one.

Postpartum Anxiety

Some anxiety is natural in the pregnancy process. Every mom has the right to worry

about the gender of the child, whether or not the family is prepared, if there will be any health

risks or issues with the baby, and a hundred other things that are constantly flowing through a

first time mom’s brain. In some cases, though, the small worries and anxieties of pregnancy can

lead to a much greater issue. Although less heard of, postpartum anxiety is just as dangerous and

can cause just as many issues in women’s’ health. To start off, if a woman is more prone to

anxiety before pregnancy, then they are also more at risk for a severe case after birth. About 8-

10% of new moms experience postpartum anxiety to some degree (Manjunath et al. 2011). A lot

of times, postnatal anxiety and stress are overlooked by professionals. What sometimes presents

as small worries can actually be huge issues with the new mom’s emotional well-being. Many

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studies have been done that link the effects of prenatal stress to preterm birth and low

birthweight. Women with high amounts of prenatal anxiety were 95% more likely to give birth

slightly prematurely (Dole et al. 2003). Controlling factors that influence stress and anxiety

during pregnancy is an easy way to ensure a safer delivery and stronger development of a fetus.

Postnatal anxiety has also been linked to postpartum depression. Statistics show that women who

have higher anxiety during pregnancy and after birth are more likely to develop depression after

birth as well (Correia et al. 2007).

Postpartum Psychosis

An issue that is frequently misdiagnosed, often unheard of, extremely uncommon, but the

most dangerous of all is postpartum psychosis. It is still confused today among professionals and

is very complicated for new parents to understand. Psychotic episodes can follow the birth of a

child the same way depression can. It occurs in the first 1-4 weeks and usually doesn’t return

after the single episode. It also only occurs in every 1 or 2 women out of every 1000 (Sit et al.

2006). Even though this is the most dangerous postpartum condition, it is also the rarest.

Researchers have studied and found that postpartum psychosis is more similar to a severe case of

bipolar disorder than schizophrenia. This is because of the patients who develop postpartum

psychosis, at least 75% of them had had previous episodes of bipolar disorder, whereas only 15%

of them were previously diagnosed with schizophrenic episodes (Sit et al. 2006). The symptoms

of postpartum psychosis are disorganized behavior, severe cognitive impairment, delusions, poor

judgement, and paranoia. The cause of this severe illness is unclear, but some cases have been

related to delivery complications, extremely severe hormone shifts, sleep deprivation, and other

environmental stress factors. Longitudinally, there is a positive prognosis for women who are

affected by postpartum psychosis. Over 75% were symptom free again after their initial manic

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episode (Yonkers et al. 2004). However, as with all mental illness, there is a risk of suicide. With

any woman that becomes a parent for the first time, the risk of suicide increases 70 times in the

first year after delivery (Cooper et al. 2002). That is why mental health screening is implemented

so heavily in hospitals before the parents leave. Women with postpartum psychosis are more

likely to use irreversible, dangerous measures to commit suicide, unlike women that are not

postpartum (Cooper et al. 2002). Even though suicidal behavior is more common after

pregnancy, homicidal tendencies toward the infant is rare. Of all the women with postpartum

psychosis in a study, only 9% reported thought of hurting their infant (Goyal et al. 2007 ). Most

just reported delusions and failed to understand the needs of their newborn.

Emotional Bonds

After compiling data about baby blues, postpartum depression, anxiety, and psychosis, it

is notable that these all can have a huge effect on the emotional wellbeing of the mother.

However, all of these mental illnesses can also affect the emotional and physical relationship

between the mom and infant. An emotional connection between mom and baby in the first few

weeks to months of life is crucial. In order for the child to begin development at a normal pace,

they must have a good emotional relationship with their mom or caregiver (Chang et al. 2010).

Co-regulation is a skill that babies depend on in the first few months of life until they learn to

regulate their own emotions. If the mother is not functioning completely normally emotionally,

then the co-regulation relationship will struggle and fall behind, thus permanently handicapping

the relationship between mother and child (Goyal et al. 2007). The depression and anxiety a

mother feels after birth severely prohibits her relationship with her infant. Part of postpartum

depression is a lack of interest in bonding with the infant (Hoffenar et al. 2010). If depression

isn’t treated promptly, then the infant’s development could be permanently affected.

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Sleep Deprivation

Every new parent understands that their sleep schedules will be altered when they have a

baby. No infant starts sleeping through the night right away. What a lot of new parents don’t

know, however, is that sleep deprivation during pregnancy can have an impact on their emotional

wellbeing after delivery, along with physical risks for the baby. With women occupying a more

predominant place in the workplace due to modern gender expectations, most soon-to-be moms

will work right up until their delivery date. Working throughout the pregnancy can be a good

thing, but if the woman is in a profession where she is not getting as much sleep per night as she

should, the outcome could be negative. Preterm births have been linked to sleeplessness during

gestation in several cases (Chang et al. 2010). They have backed up these findings with evidence

of sleep deprivation being linked to elevated levels of inflammatory serums and other hormones

which could stimulate uterine contractions (Correia et al. 2007). These factors essentially can

cause preterm labor and delivery. Returning to the emotional wellbeing, of the new mother,

preterm babies cause a lot of stress on new parents. Having a preterm infant can also lead to

postpartum depression (Chang et al. 2010). This is because of the sleep schedule of a premature

baby takes them a lot longer to sleep fully through the night, so parents continue to be sleep

deprived for longer periods of time. A study done by Goyal et al followed 124 women from their

last month of pregnancy until 3 months after delivery. They then self-reported their sleep

disturbances. There were high correlations between sleep deprivation and depression, especially

in the third month of postpartum (Goyal et al. 2007).

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Personal Emotional Relationships

When the mother’s emotions are affected after birth, it not only affects her state of mind

and the baby’s wellbeing, but it also affects the emotional and physical relationships with the

spouse. There is much debate amongst the literature as to whether or not having a first child

greatly impacts the emotional relationship between the new mother and father. One of the most

preliminary findings of a cross-sectional study shows that non-parents report having a

significantly happier marriage than parents do (Twenge et al. 2004). A variety of other studies

show similar results. Some studies start collecting date while the couple is still pregnant.

Regardless of when the study started, they all share similar results. One study showed that one

third of couples fall into clinical marital distress within 18 months after delivery (Twenge et al.

2004). Distress in a marriage or relationship is another factor for postpartum depression. When

couples are struggling, a woman is more likely to doubt herself and therefore is more likely to

experience depression or anxiety (Twenge et al. 2004). Giving birth is a naturally stressful event.

It is expected for relationship strength to take a dip at some point. There are so many factors that

go into how a baby will affect a marriage. One parent could be much more involved than the

other, one could be too controlling, or one might just not care. Regardless, all of these scenarios

can have an negative effect on a mother’s emotional health.

Conclusion

Giving birth is, by nature, an uncertain process. Parents can plan for months, but the

woman’s body and the baby have a plan of their own. There are so many complications that

could happen that could end up affecting the mental wellbeing of the mother. The shock of a first

child especially affects the emotions of the mother, in a plethora of ways. Experts always say that

the first child is the hardest, but nobody imagines what it can do to a woman emotionally. After

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birth, the mother can be overwhelmed with excess hormones. They are telling her to bond with

the child, nurture it, protect it. Sometimes, the body works a little too hard, and negative effects

ensue. . The baby blues are easily the most common. At least half of all pregnant women

experience some sort of blues. These symptoms are usually not severe, such as excess crying and

mood swings. Postpartum depression is clearly the most common postnatal issue that can arise. It

is easy to treat and every doctor is prepared to screen their patient for any depressive symptoms.

Postpartum anxiety is a little less common. Anxiety during the pregnancy can lead to increased

anxiety after birth. Although every mom worries about the health of their baby, postnatal anxiety

goes beyond that. It overwhelms the mom and prevents her from eating and sleeping regularly

and bonding correctly with the infant. The riskiest emotional affect is postpartum psychosis.

These can be full on manic episodes due to hormone shifts. They do tend to be a once and done

condition though, which is good for the safety of the mother and infant. These mental illnesses

can mess up the important initial bonding between a mother and child. The emotional connection

is important for development of the infant and for parenting later on in life. Other than the

hormones coursing through a woman’s body, sleep deprivation is another major factor that

affects the emotions of a new mom. Studies show that sleep deprivation is bad for any human,

but especially for a pregnant woman. Lack of sleep during pregnancy can lead to preterm birth

and depression after birth. It also can lead to increased anxiety and the potential of psychosis.

Lastly, the emotional relationships between the new mom and her partner can be greatly affected.

All mental illnesses discussed along with sleep deprivation are reasons that couples struggle after

having their first child. Studies show that a large portion of couples with kids are unhappier than

couples without. Although studies have found conclusive answers to many childbirth questions

, there is still a significant lack of literature on the effects giving birth has on a woman’s health..

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Birth truly is a magical and miraculous time, but it can also be emotional, stressful, and

damaging to the mother’s mental and physical well-being. The mystery of what goes on in a

woman’s body to affect her emotions so profoundly is the true miracle and mystery of life.

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 Works Cited/Consulted

Chang, Jen Jen, Grace W Pien, Stephen P Duntley, George A Macones. 2010. “Sleep

Deprivation during Pregnancy and Maternal and Fetal Outcomes: Is There a

Relationship?” HHS Public Access. Retrieved March 30, 2018

<https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2824023/>.

Cooper, G.M., G. Lewis, J. Neilson. 2002. “Confidential enquiries into maternal deaths.” British

Journal of Anaesthesia. Retrieved March 25, 2018 <https://www.sciencedirect.com

/science/article/pii/S0007091217374159>.

Correia, LL, Linhares MB. 2007. “Maternal anxiety in the pre- and postnatal period: a literature

review.” Pub Med. Retrieved March 30, 2108 < https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/

17923988>.

Dole, N., Savitz DA, Hertz-Picciotto, Siega-Riz, MacMahon MJ, Buekens P. 2003. “Maternal

stress and preterm birth.” Pub Med. Retrieved March 31, 2018 <https://www

.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12505886>.

Goyal, D., CL Gay, KA Lee. 2007. “Patterns of sleep disruption and depressive symptoms in

new mothers.” Pub Med. Retrieved March 31, 2018 < https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.

gov/pubmed/17505232>.

Hoffenaar, Peter Johannes, Frank van Balen, and Jo Hermanns. 2010. “The Impact of Having a

Baby on the Level and Content of Women’s Well-Being.” Social Indicators Research.

Retrieved February 13, 2018 <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles

/PMC2861175/>.

Manjunath, Narasimhaiah G., Giriyappa Venkatesh, Rajanna. 2011. “Postpartum bBlue is

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 Common in Socially and Economically Insecure Mothers.” Indian Journal of Community

Medicine. Retrieved March 31, 2018 < https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/

PMC3214451/>.

Schetter, Christine Dunkel, Lynlee Tanner. 2012. “Anxiety, depression and stress in pregnancy:

implications for mothers, children, research, and practice.” HHS Public Access. Retrieved

March 31, 2018 < https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4447112/>.

Sit, Dorothy, Anthony J. Rothschild, Katherine L. Wisner. 2006. “A Review of Postpartum

Psychosis.” HHS Public Access. Retrieved March 31, 2018

<https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/article/PMC3109493/>.

Thompson, Kym Spring, Judith E Fox. 2010. “Post-partum depression: a comprehensive a

pproach to evaluation and treatment.” Mental Health in Family Medicine. Retrieved

March 31, 2018 < https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3083254/>.

Twenge, Jean M., W. Keith Campbell, Craig A. Foster. 2004. “Parenthood and Marital

Satisfaction: A Meta-Analysis Review.” Journal of Marriage and Family. Retrieved

March 31, 2018 <https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1741-

3737.2003.00574.x>.

Wilkinson, Ross B. 2007. “Mood changes in mothers and fathers through childbearing: Are the

blues so blue?” Psychology and Health. Retrieved March 30, 2018

<https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08870449908407351>.

Yonkers, KA, KL Wisner, Z Stowe, E Leinbenluft, L Cohen, L Miller, R Manber, A Viguera, T

Suppes, L Altshuler. 2004. “Management of Bipolar disorder during pregnancy and the

postpartum period” Pub Med. Retrieved March 31, 2018 < https://www.ncbi.

nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15056503>.

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 SOCIOLOGY 030 Honors
Grading Rubric for Analytical Literature Review Paper
Your Name(s): Nicole Jaquette

Tasks Points Your

Points

Introduction
12 points 0-9
Introduces topic, describes what was done, why topic is
important and why it 0-3
was interesting to the author. Catches reader’s
interest.
Tells the research question for the project.

Body – with heading that relates to your findings

53 points
(Eg: Divorce Affects Children in Many Ways) 0-2
Correct use of main heading and sub-headings to 0-38
organize ideas
Describe what you learned in answer to your research
question.
Demonstrates an understanding of what was read, 0-5
findings described are 0-5
correct. Good coverage of the aspects of the 0-3
research question.
Content is organized appropriately by content/topic –
articles are not
summarized one by one. (Eg: Impact on Children
Differs by Their Age).
Information on unique samples used in research
articles is included.
Uses only peer-reviewed, published articles of good
quality

Conclusions
15 points 0-5
Give a clear statement of the answer to your research
question based on 0-5
what you read. 0-5
Discuss what you learned that was most important to
you
Describe what you still want to know about this
topic/research question
Quality of Part 1 0-5
5 points

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 Writing Craft
15 points 0 – 15
Clear topic sentences
All required headings are used. Writing is clear and
easy to follow. Correct
grammar and spelling, page numbers, No slang,
informal language.
Citations in text are used and in correct format (ASA
guide on ANGEL)
Reference list is present and in correct format (ASA
guide on ANGEL)
Author demonstrates that they understood their own
project.

Total Points Earned /100

Other Possible Deductions
Missing the rubric -2
All pages not stapled together -3
Any part turned after class, on same day -3
Any part turned in on a later day -2 for each
day
*True emergencies are always respected. Contact Prof. including
Silver wknd
Final Grade (Total Points Earned – Other /100
Deductions)

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