Staying active & socially well-connected key for new parent's mental health, says Waveney Mum
The work found the odds of new mums getting 'postpartum depression', can be nearly halved, if they do light exercise for over an hour, every week
A mum from Waveney is telling us that staying active and socially well-connected is key for the mental health of those with newborns.
It's after a study has found that new mothers can reduce the risk of developing 'postnatal depression', if they can exercise for more than an hour every week.
"Being a new mum does present you with a shock to the system"
Justine lives in Lowestoft and is a mum of two:
She told us what else is needed to help with the 'baby blues'
"Mental Health support for post-natal challenges should be readily available and easy to access. This could include counselling services, access to specialist help and support groups for new mums.
"Being a new mum does present you with a shock to the system, and it's quite easy to fall into that trap to stay at home because you've got a newborn.
But I think that when you do that your mental health gets affected and that's why I used to get some fresh air and it would make me feel so much better".
The work in more detail:
The work from the University of Alberta says that new mum could restart exercise with "gentle" walks, and then increase to "moderate" activity when they are ready.
But this should balance exercise with their recovery from childbirth.
Their new study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, examined 35 studies involving more than 4,000 women from 14 different countries.
The odds of postpartum depression were reduced by 45% among those who engaged in exercise compared to those who did not.
And exercise was associated with less severe symptoms of depression and anxiety after giving birth.
Starting exercise before 12 weeks after birth was linked to a greater reduction in depressive symptoms than starting it later.
And the greater the exercise volume the greater the reduction in the severity of symptoms, the research found.
The study said in order to reap the benefits of exercise, women should try and engage in at least 80 minutes of moderate intensity exercise each week.
And they should try to be moderately active on at least four days of the week.
"Walking is a great way to get exercise, and it's something you can do with your baby"
Lead author Professor Margie Davenport, from the University of Alberta, told the PA news agency:
"While historical recommendations suggest waiting for six weeks before starting moderate to vigorous intensity exercise, more recent work has suggested that early mobilisation and incorporation of light intensity physical activity such as gentle walking can facilitate postpartum recovery."
She added: "Once (the mother) has recovered from labour and delivery, going for short gentle walks is encouraged.
"Walking is a great way to get exercise, and it's something you can do with your baby.
"As she is ready to begin more vigorous exercise, we recommend a gradual but progressive fashion.
"It's important that attention is paid to symptoms such as poor recovery after exercise which may mean that exercise is progressing too quickly.
"Those who experience urinary incontinence are recommended to speak to a pelvic floor physiotherapist for assessment and treatment.
"Everyone's ideal starting time will be different balancing the need to recover and heal from childbirth with readiness to begin being physically active to derive both physical and mental health benefits."
Some 275 women in the UK died during pregnancy or in the six weeks afterwards in 2020-2022, according to the latest MBRRACE-UK report.
And 31 of these deaths were attributed to mental health conditions.