Postnatal Depression
Although postnatal depression is thought to affect at least one in ten women in the UK, it often goes undiagnosed by healthcare professionals. It can occur between two to eight weeks after delivery, or its symptoms can appear up to six months or even a year after the birth of the baby. The key signs of this extremely distressing condition are anxiety, panic attacks, sleeplessness, memory loss, an inability to stop crying, overwhelming feelings of hopelessness and a loss of interest in the new baby. All these feelings, when experienced in combination with postnatal physical exhaustion and/or discomfort resulting from injuries that may have been experienced during birth, can pose very real difficulties for the mother trying to adjust to life with a new baby.
Yoga provides a very positive approach to the holistic prevention and management
of postnatal depresssion. One of the key issues in understanding why
postnatal depression occurs, and why yoga can help, is to recognise that
the feelings of depression both derive from, and affect, the nature of the
relationship between mother and baby.
Francoise Freedman, medical anthropologist and founder of Birthlight (a charitable trust dedicated to improving the experience of childbirth through yoga), has developed yoga classes specifcally for pregnancy and the postnatal period. Speaking about postnatal depression, she emphasises the vital importance of the mother's bond with her unborn child: 'It's all about the quality of communication with the baby inside,' she explains, 'not just about bonding after the birth, but so that you know each other intimately even before then.' Pregnancy yoga can lay the foundations for a strong mother-child relationship, and thus is an important tool for the prevention of postnatal depression.
Even before the baby is born, rhythmic full yogic breath and resonant bhramari and chanting have a powerfully calming effect on the baby within. Many newly delivered mums who practiced yoga during pregnancy are delighted to discover that their little son or daughter appears to remember the sounds of the pre-birth yoga practices: "She instantly stops crying when she hears those Om chants" they say. It's as if the yoga practice gives the mum a special 'sound bond' with her newborn. At a more profound level, it is the quality of relaxed attention which the mother can access during yoga practice which seems to calm the baby, and promotes an easeful bond making the development of postnatal depression less likely.
Even if expectant mothers have not had the opportunity to practice yoga during their pregnancy, many of the mums and newborns who attend postnatal/baby yoga classes discover that the techniques enable them to develop a bond with their baby that is based on mutual delight. These classes are not only mutually beneficial for both mother and baby, but they tend to be fun too: babies enjoy gentle passive stretches and rhythmic movements with singing, whilst mothers can use specific post-natal recovery asanas to counteract post-birth aches and pains, and offset the twin stresses of feeding and carrying their babies. Integrated mother-and-baby practices, where the adults and baby move together, are a hugely enjoyable way to deepen and develop bonding and understanding, and lessen the likelihood of postnatal depression. Simple breath and relaxation practices give both mother and baby the opportunity to take deep rest in each other's presence.
But if yoga in the postnatal period is to be of any assistance in the prevention or management of postnatal depression, it is vital that the classes create a supportive and baby-friendly environment. The inspiring approach developed by Dr Freedman (taught through Birthlight and the Yoga Therapy Centre) as well as the classes at Sitaram Partnership present a holistic and integrated programme for mothers and babies to enjoy together. This a pproach is a world away from the more widespread 'park your baby on a beanbag' variety of postnatal yoga classes which can create a stressful experience for the mother who feels that her crying baby is disturbing the 'serious' (i.e. quiet) yoga class. Such experiences, when the mother feels that her main concern in the class is to 'keep the baby quiet', can exacerbate symptoms of postnatal depression by making mothers feel guilty or resentful about the presence of their baby. A well-managed postnantal/baby yoga class on the other hand, can help mums to develop a positive and accommodating attitude to the new challenges of life (including yoga) with their child.
Bearing in mind that postnatal depression can start as late a year after
the birth, it is important to adjust yoga classes in such a way as to present
practices appropriate to the changing needs of the mother and baby. At all
stages, from pregnant woman to mother of a newly crawling explorer, from
foetus to mobile baby, the emphasis is upon practices that assist the mother
to adapt happily to the present stage of her own and her baby's development.
If depression sets in, as Dr Freedman explains, the communication between
mother and baby breaks down and the mother loses the possibility of taking
delight in her baby: 'Depression is when you get lost in yourself and you
can't reach out,' says Francoise. 'Yoga allows you to reach out and connect
with the baby. You engage your mind through rhythm and touch and movement.'
For this reason, the gentle, repetitive strokes of baby massage are also
a useful tool in the development of a loving bond between mother and child,
and a number of South London hospitals have begun to fund baby massage classes
as a means to reduce the incidence of postnatal depression.
The efficacy of both baby massage and postnatal/baby yoga as means to prevent postntal depression lies in the fact that their benefits are mutual: the yoga practices which calm the unborn child also provide the expectant mother with a restful experience of deep relaxation; the massage practices which soothe the three month baby's colic give the desperate mum a peaceful moment of rhythmic healing touch with her daughter; the yoga practices which bring flexibility, strength and energy to the aching body of a tired mum provide a fascinating source of mobile entertainment for the curious baby.
Above all, the benefits of yogic relaxation gives new mothers a valuable opportunity to recharge and refocus their energies.s In her explication of the essence of yoga for the postnatal period, Francoise Freedman puts it like this: 'Your own ability to relax teaches your baby how to relax as well, so that you can enjoy life together. In turn, this feeling influences and inspires the rest of your family. Physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well-being after giving birth requires that you learn to nurture yourself in deep relaxation. Only then can you truly nurture anyone else.'
Further information:
Sitaram postnatal and baby classes run three times a week, call Uma
on 0787 215 1122 to book. For postnatal yoga and
baby yoga teachers in North London contact the Yoga Therapy Centre
0207 419 7195, for classes across the UK, contact Birthlight 01223
362288. For list of local baby massage teachers, contact the Active
Birth Centre 0207 482 5554.
Uma Dinsmore-Tuli
February 2001
First published in the International Yoga Fellowship Newssheet, Spring
2001