Women who have been diagnosed with depression are generally more likely to develop postpartum depression. However, a new study featured on Science Daily reveals that those with no prior history of depression but have been diagnosed with fear of giving birth may also suffer from the baby blues.

Researchers examined over 500,000 mothers in Finland and found that 0.3 percent of women who gave birth between 2002 and 2010 were diagnosed with postpartum depression. Approximately 5.3 percent were previously diagnosed with depression, while a third of the women did not have any prior symptoms of any mental condition. According to the researchers, the fear of childbirth in the latter may have tripled their risk of postpartum depression.

Symptoms of postpartum depression include mood swings, withdrawal from family and friends, insomnia, confusion, paranoia, and thoughts or attempts to harm oneself and the baby. Women who exhibit any of these signs shortly after giving birth are highly advised to seek professional help.

(Photo by LearningLark via Flickr Creative Commons)