Physical activity during and after pregnancy improves psychological wellbeing and may protect against postpartum depression, according to a new analysis of existing research.
“The negative consequences of postpartum depression not only affect the mother but also the child, who can suffer poor emotional and cognitive development,” said study co-author Celia Alvarez-Bueno of the University of Castilla-La Mancha in Cuenca, Spain.
Postpartum depression, the most common complication of bearing a child, affects 1 in 9 women, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Symptoms can include anxiety attacks, insecurity, irritability, fatigue, guilt, fear of harming the baby and a reluctance to breastfeed.
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