Pregnancy and Post-Pregnancy

Breastfeeding a baby can be a satisfying experience, healthy for both baby and Mom. But the joy of this experience can be quickly thwarted by mastitis, a relatively common, painful and debilitating acute infection of the breast that affects between 10 and 30% of breastfeeding women. With the right care mastitis can often resolve on its own, but if neglected it can lead to a more serious infection, and can also cause women to prematurely stop breastfeeding because of the pain and discomfort.

Most women experience mood changes after giving birth, sometimes called “postpartum blues”. Understandable, since rapid hormonal shifts take place, and having a baby is a dramatic life change that requires immediate adjustment. For the vast majority of women, these mood changes are short-lived and mild. However, 10-15% suffer a more serious form of depression; and a very small proportion--around 0.2%-- experience psychotic symptoms following childbirth.