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The relationship between expectations of pregnancy and birth, and transient depression in the immediate post-partum
Ninety-eight primiparous women recruited from antenatal classes evaluated their expectations and experiences of pregnancy and delivery before and after birth. On each day they were in hospital post-partum, the women were also asked to rate their level of depression. No correlation was found between anticipated and actual experience of birth. However, women who rated the birth experience as being unpleasant, also reported retrospectively that they were not expecting this to occur. The most consistent predictors of depression in the days immediately after birth were trait anxiety and fear of birth, assessed during pregnancy. Expectation of birth, birth experience, and whether birth was as expected, did not predict post-partum blues. The implications of these results for procedures for preparing women for childbirth are discussed.
Ninety-eight primiparous women recruited from antenatal classes evaluated their expectations and experiences of pregnancy and delivery before and after birth. On each day they were in hospital post-partum, the women were also asked to rate their level of depression. No correlation was found between anticipated and actual experience of birth. However, women who rated the birth experience as being unpleasant, also reported retrospectively that they were not expecting this to occur. The most consistent predictors of depression in the days immediately after birth were trait anxiety and fear of birth, assessed during pregnancy. Expectation of birth, birth experience, and whether birth was as expected, did not predict post-partum blues. The implications of these results for procedures for preparing women for childbirth are discussed.