Great conversation, Dr. B. Your guests did not address the correlation with difficulty BF and postpartum depression, which is a real concern for new mothers. Apparently interrupting the oxytocin cycle with pain and mental stress contribute to the development of PPD. I do agree that AAP guidelines should mention all you discussed, that maternal mental health is just as important (sometimes more so) as getting breastmilk into the baby. My own daughter was told, wrongly, to stop her meds during pregnancy, which I disagreed with. She did, and tried to BF with great difficulty, and had a depression relapse! These are really important issues. Thanks for highlighting.
Great conversation, Dr. B. Your guests did not address the correlation with difficulty BF and postpartum depression, which is a real concern for new mothers. Apparently interrupting the oxytocin cycle with pain and mental stress contribute to the development of PPD. I do agree that AAP guidelines should mention all you discussed, that maternal mental health is just as important (sometimes more so) as getting breastmilk into the baby. My own daughter was told, wrongly, to stop her meds during pregnancy, which I disagreed with. She did, and tried to BF with great difficulty, and had a depression relapse! These are really important issues. Thanks for highlighting.