Search

Home > Portable Practical Pediatrics > New Baby Brings Joy + Stress (Pedcast)
Podcast: Portable Practical Pediatrics
Episode:

New Baby Brings Joy + Stress (Pedcast)
Category: Kids & family
Duration: 00:00:00
Publish Date: 2016-01-10 19:33:12
Description: Topic Introduction We have all heard of postpartum depression- that severe baby blues that some women experience after the birth of a their children. Most of us have heard about the famous actress Brooke Shield's battle with severe postpartum depression after the birth of her first child. Fortunately, serious depression like Brooke Shields experienced is not all that common but less severe mood difficulties are.  That is what we are going to talk about today. Specifically, the  mood and relationship changes that new parents experience after a previously childless couple brings new child home. Musical Introduction The New Baby Effect The truth is that the stress of having a baby has affects on both Mom and Dad, with 50% of new parents experiencing transient sadness and 10-20% have something more--a deeper change in mood-- an actual depression where the parent is not able to function effectively. That's what happened to Brooke Shields.  But how else does a new baby's appearance effect their parents? Does the new baby effect the relationship between Mom and Dad?  Is their satisfaction with the marriage as high as before they became parents?  Unfortunately, the answer is usually, no. In fact, 80% of married couples have a fall in marital satisfaction after the birth of a child according to Dr. John Medina, a neuropsychologist and author of Brain Rules for Babies.  Dr. Medina also says that marital satisfaction doesn't recover until all the children have left the home!  That's a fact about being a parent that you don't hear much about before you said "I do", I'll bet.   Additionally, Dr. Medina says that research shows that the dirty little secret about having a new baby is that marital conflict goes up.  Satisfaction is down and marital discord up.  This sounds terrible but why should this be?  What has changed so much to have such an effect on new parents? Dr. Medina says it comes down to four factors:  Sleep deprivation of parents 2.    Social isolation of parents 3.    Unequal workload, that is a feeling that the other parent is not pulling their load. 4.    Depression and mood changes of the parents. Anyone who has older children will attest to the truth of these words. After a baby arrives, everything is different. The needs of the parents are always trumped by the child's needs. And this is very stressful and this stress goes on 24/7.  The baby needs attention train never stops. Demands on parents rise dramatically after a baby comes home compared to their pre children days.  The new baby severely limits new parent's lifestyle choices and opportunities for relaxation. Most young parents have never had this kind of stress and we all know that stress doesn't bring out great things in most people.  Ponder this Doc Smo pearl; There is no quicker way to find  the cracks in a parent's personality than to apply stress and stand back and watch.  Effect on the Baby So how can all this stress effect babies?  Why is this fall in parental happiness an important topic for a child health of podcast?  Well, it is because of a basic truth about babies; Babies are always looking for security and predictability and if parents begin serious marital discord or one or both parents suffer from a serious depression or a decline in mood, the parents may withdraw emotionally from connecting with their baby. Their baby's early experiences might not be as secure and predictable and the baby's ability to form a secure attachment may be in jeopardy. A baby in this situation may have trouble finding security and predictability. Any kind of instability, especially in the first months of life, can be devastating to a new baby's personality formation.  Again, Dr. Medina says that research tells him that babies know what's going on around them and are very sensitive to the emotions of those around them.  If a parent's stress is chronic and intense, it can become  "Toxic" for a baby-- the stress literally wires their brains di...
Total Play: 0