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Epidemio-clinical Profile of the Baby Blues in Cameroonian Women

Received: 7 February 2020     Accepted: 21 February 2020     Published: 2 March 2020
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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 Yaoundé, 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.

Published in Journal of Family Medicine and Health Care (Volume 6, Issue 1)
DOI 10.11648/j.jfmhc.20200601.14
Page(s) 20-23
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Baby Blues, Maternity Blues, Postpartum, Cameroon

References
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[2] Savage GE. Observation on the insanity of pregnancy and childbirth. Guy’s Hospital. Rep 1975; 20: 83.
[3] Kennerley H, Gath D. Maternity blues. Br J Psychiatry. Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins, 1994; 155: 367-73.
[4] Virginie IM, Michel riex. Baby blues. Eres spirale. 2019; 89: 131-135
[5] Malalagama AS. Lack of affective communication by the staff as a risk factor for postpartum blues in an obstetric unit of a Base Hospital in Sri Lanka. SL J Psychiatry 2018; 9 (1): 15-19.
[6] Rezaie-Keikhaie K, Arbabshastan ME, Rafiemanesh H, Amirshahi M, Mogharabi S, Sarjou AA. Prevalence of the Maternity Blues in the Postpartum Period. J Obstet Gynecol Neoatal Nurs. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jogn.2020.01.001.
[7] Nott PN, Franklin M, Armitage C, Gelder MG. Hormonal and mood changesin the puerperium. Br J Pharmacol 1980; 70: 102.
[8] Adewuya AO. Early postpartum mood as a risk factor for postnatal depression in Nigerian Women. Am J Psychiatry 2006; 163 (8): 1435-7.
[9] Oates M. Normal emotional changes in pregnancy and the puerperium. Baillères Clin Obstet Gynaecol 1989; 3 (6): 791-804.
[10] Guedeney A, Bungener C, Widlöcher D. Le postpartum blues: une revue critique de la litterature. Psychiatr Enfant 1993; 36 (1): 329-354.
[11] Adewuya AO. Prevalence and risk factors of maternity blues in western Nigerian women. Am J Ostet Gynaecol, 2005; 193 (4): 1522-5.
[12] Gonidakis F, Rabavila AD et al. Maternity blues in Athens. J Affect Disord 2007; 99 (1): 107-115.
[13] Pitt B. Maternity blues. Br J Psychiatry 1973; 122 (569): 431-3.
[14] May et al. Maternity blues and postnatal depression in low risk mothers. Hong kong J Gynaecol obstet 2000; 30 (3): 264-88.
[15] Takahashi Y, Tamakoshi K et al. Factors associated with early postpartum maternity blues and depression tendencies among Japanese mothers with full –term healthy infants. Nogo J Med Sci 2014; 76 (1): 129-138.
[16] Shi, P., Ren, H., Li, H., & Dai, Q. Maternal depression and suicide at immediate prenatal and early postpartum periods and psychosocial risk factors. Psychiatry Research.2018; 261, 298–306. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.
[17] 2017.12.085Alexandre FC, Paolo RM. Maternity blues: Prevalence and risk factors. Sp J Psychol 2008; 2 (11): 593-599.
[18] Ouedraogo A et al. Screening of post-partum depressive states in the Yalgado Ouedraogo National Hospital Center, maternity ward, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. J Gnecol Obstet Biol Reprod 1998; 27: 611-6.
[19] Fatoye FO, Adeyemi AB, Oladimeji BY. Postpertum depression following normal vaginal delivery among Nigerian women. Psychol Rep 2004; 94: 1276-8.
[20] Levy V. The maternity blues in post-operative women. Br J Psychiatry 1987; 151: 368-372.
[21] Nagata et al. Maternity blues and attachment to children in mothers of full term normal infants. Acta Psychol Scand 2000; 101 (3): 209-217.
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  • APA Style

    Georges Pius Kamsu Moyo. (2020). Epidemio-clinical Profile of the Baby Blues in Cameroonian Women. Journal of Family Medicine and Health Care, 6(1), 20-23. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jfmhc.20200601.14

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    ACS Style

    Georges Pius Kamsu Moyo. Epidemio-clinical Profile of the Baby Blues in Cameroonian Women. J. Fam. Med. Health Care 2020, 6(1), 20-23. doi: 10.11648/j.jfmhc.20200601.14

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    AMA Style

    Georges Pius Kamsu Moyo. Epidemio-clinical Profile of the Baby Blues in Cameroonian Women. J Fam Med Health Care. 2020;6(1):20-23. doi: 10.11648/j.jfmhc.20200601.14

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  • @article{10.11648/j.jfmhc.20200601.14,
      author = {Georges Pius Kamsu Moyo},
      title = {Epidemio-clinical Profile of the Baby Blues in Cameroonian Women},
      journal = {Journal of Family Medicine and Health Care},
      volume = {6},
      number = {1},
      pages = {20-23},
      doi = {10.11648/j.jfmhc.20200601.14},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jfmhc.20200601.14},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.jfmhc.20200601.14},
      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 Yaoundé, 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.},
     year = {2020}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
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    AU  - Georges Pius Kamsu Moyo
    Y1  - 2020/03/02
    PY  - 2020
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    DO  - 10.11648/j.jfmhc.20200601.14
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    AB  - 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 Yaoundé, 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.
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Author Information
  • Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon

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