Maternal Postpartum Depressive Symptoms and Complementary Feeding Practices of Infants during the First 12 Months of...

Complementary feeding is critical to infant growth, yet its association with maternal postpartum depressive symptoms is not well understood.

The aim of this study was to estimate the association between maternal postpartum depressive symptoms and infant complementary feeding.

Data were obtained from the Infant Feeding Practices Study II, a national prospective cohort following mother-infant dyads from late pregnancy throughout the first year of life. Possible postpartum depressive symptoms were measured using the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale. Mothers reported foods fed to infants in the past 7 d every 1 to 1.5 mo throughout the first year. The timing of introducing complementary foods throughout the first year (n = 2265), meal frequency (n = 1990), and dietary diversity scores (n = 2005) between ages 6 and 12 mo were calculated.

The mean of postpartum depression scores (6.6 ± 4.5) remained similar across analytical samples. Women with possible postpartum depression were more likely than those without to introduce complementary foods at an earlier time [adjusted hazard ratio: 1.30, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.02, 1.66]. The association was weakened among older infants. A 1-point higher postpartum depression score was associated with a 10% higher odds of meeting World Health Organization (WHO) minimum meal frequency recommendations between ages 6 and 12 mo (adjusted odds ratio: 1.10; 95% CI: 1.03, 1.17). Possible postpartum depressive symptoms were not associated with dietary diversity scores.

Women with possible postpartum depression are more inclined to introduce complementary foods earlier, although this association weakens as infants age. Elevated possible postpartum depressive symptoms are associated with a higher likelihood of meeting WHO-recommended minimum meal frequency during ages 6 to 12 mo, whereas they are not associated with dietary diversity. Interventions aimed at alleviating postpartum depressive symptoms should be designed and implemented in the early postpartum period to prevent the premature introduction of complementary foods.