Urinary excretion of catecholamines during the first months after delivery

The urinary excretion of free catecholamines was assessed in 17 women 3 times after delivery; after 3 weeks, 6 weeks and 6 months, respectively. Relatively high levels were found both for adrenaline and noradrenaline excretion, on the first and third occasions, with significantly lowered levels on the second one. Mothers who had had a negative experience of their delivery (according to interview) as well as mothers who felt tired during the mid-phase of the follow-up (according to diaries) had very small variations in catecholamine excretion and did not show increased levels 6 months after delivery. Whether the mother experienced her infant as crying or not had no significant association with catecholamine output.