New mothers who suffer from depression after giving birth - sometimes known as the baby blues - are more likely to have unfavorable parenting practices, such as not continuing breastfeeding and not showing books to the infant, compared with mothers without depression, new research suggests.

The rate of depression in mothers of young children has been estimated to be as high as 24 percent. Several reports have linked maternal depression with adverse parenting practices, yet relatively few large studies have focused on the impact of depressive symptoms in the period after delivery.

In this study, reported in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 4874 mothers who were enrolled in the National Evaluation of Healthy Steps for Young Children completed questionnaires when their infants were between 2 and 4 months of age.

Overall, 17.8 percent of mothers reported depressive symptoms in the post-birth period, Dr. Cynthia S. Minkovitz, from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, and colleagues note.

Depressed mothers were just as likely to follow safety practices, such as using the correct infant sleep position and making sure the water temperature was right for bathing the baby, as were their non-depressed peers. Feeding practices, including giving cereal, water, and juice, were also similar in each group.

However, depressive symptoms in the weeks after giving birth reduced the likelihood of continuing breastfeeding by 27 percent, showing books by 19 percent, playing with the infant by 30 percent, talking to the infant by 26 percent, and following two or more routines by 39 percent.

“The results of the study add to the burgeoning evidence that highlights the importance of screening for maternal depressive symptoms in the postpartum period,” the researchers emphasize.

“Once depressive symptoms are identified,” they add, “pediatric healthcare professionals have an important role in providing ongoing counseling and anticipatory guidance to enhance parental efficacy, as well as in referring mothers to appropriate healthcare professionals to assist with their depressive symptoms.”

SOURCE: Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, March 2006.