Postpartum health of working mothers : A prospective study
Introduction: Most working women experience poor physical and mental health during their postpartum period. �is prospective study aimed to describe the physical and mental health issues faced by working mothers during their postpartum period. Methods: Respondents were recruited using the proportion...
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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Academy of Family Physicians of Malaysia
2023
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/42667/3/Postpartum.pdf http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/42667/ https://www.e-mfp.org/old/index.htm https://doi.org/10.51866/oa.167 |
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| Institution: | Universiti Malaysia Sarawak |
| Language: | English |
| Summary: | Introduction: Most working women experience poor physical and mental health during their postpartum period. �is prospective study aimed to describe the physical and mental health issues faced by working mothers during their postpartum period.
Methods: Respondents were recruited using the proportional sampling method among mothers who attended the Maternal and Child Health Clinic in the Kuching division in Sarawak, Malaysia. Faceto-face interview was conducted using a questionnaire that consisted of items on socio-demographic
data as well as perinatal, prenatal and postpartum factors, and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and a checklist of 28 speci�c postpartum symptoms were used during the �rst 6 weeks and after 12 weeks of childbirth.
Results: A total of 281 respondents participated in this study. Fatigue (42.7%), back or neck pain (36.3%), breast discomfort (16.4%), dizziness (13.5%) and nipple irritation (11.0%) were among the most common symptoms experienced by the mothers during the �rst 6 weeks after childbirth. �ere
was a signi�cant decrease in the physical symptom scores of the respondents from the �rst 6 weeks to after 12 weeks of childbirth (1.73±1.96 vs 0.16±0.42; P<0.0005). A signi�cant decrease was also found in the depression scores (6.26±4.26 vs 1.35±1.85, P<0.0005).
Conclusion: �e prevalence of postnatal depression was higher during the �rst 6 weeks of postpartum than after 12 weeks of postpartum. Screening and treatment of poor postpartum mental health among working women are essential owing to the impacts on occupational outcomes. |
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