This morning iHV PIMH Lead, Hilda Beauchamp, joined the BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour team to discuss the relatively under-researched area of depression associated with the end of breastfeeding.
Journalist, Alice Vincent, asked in a recent article ‘why does nobody speak about post-breastfeeding depression’, something that she experienced after she stopped breastfeeding her 18-month-old son. The response she received to her article indicates that this is a topic women wish they knew more about.
Although there are no official statistics about the number of women affected by this, what we do know is that more than 1 in 5 women develop a mental illness in pregnancy or in the first year after birth, and suicide, tragically, remains the leading case of maternal death in the first postnatal year.
With 70% of women underplaying or hiding their mental health difficulties due to stigma or fear of child removal, any opportunity to raise awareness of any mental illness associated with having a baby should not be missed. We want women to know they are not alone, that support is available, and that they can get better.
The news item on post-breastfeeding depression on today’s Woman’s Hour programme starts at 34:45 into the programme and ends at 46:11. Please go to the BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour link below for today’s episode:
