A study published in the latest edition of Archives of Women’s Health has found that instrumental births (those requiring forceps, vacuum extraction, etc.) and cesarean sections are related to a higher number of psychological difficulties after birth – ranging from lack of adjustment to motherhood to post-traumatic stress disorder. To put these conclusions into perspective,…
It is well known that pregnancy is a psychologically transforming event and that in some cases it may activate unexpected difficulties at an emotional level. It is also known that stress, anxiety and depression may impact the baby´s development, elevate the risk of preterm birth and of mental health issues in the postpartum. Not much…
The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes a “positive childbirth experience” as a significant end point for all women undergoing labor. It defines a positive childbirth experience as one that fulfils or exceeds a woman’s prior personal and sociocultural beliefs and expectations, including giving birth to a healthy baby in a clinically and psychologically safe environment…
The neurobiology of birth has one purpose: to create a caring bond between the mother and her infant. Nature does not only seek to secure the survival of the young human, but to gain maximum emotional, social and physical fitness. If there is something all new parents find out it is that their infant´s heads…
By Esther Ramírez Matos, perinatal psychologist and family therapist My body spoke to me again, last night while I was calmly reading a novel about maternity. As a traumatic birth was described, after which mother and infant were separated, I felt an intense pain in my pelvic area; I had not been so uncomfortable in…
By Esther Ramírez Matos, perinatal psychologist and systemic therapist I remember the day when, with my almost one month old baby in the pediatrician waiting room, I thought for the first time about the concept of puerperium, or postpartum. My healthcare provider had previously explained that this next visit would be with the regular…
