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Morning Sickness and Its Impact on Bonding with Your Baby - Cord Blood

Cord Blood

and Stem Cell Banking

Morning Sickness and Its Impact on Bonding with Your Baby

Pregnant woman talking to clinician

Morning sickness, or nausea and vomiting during pregnancy (NVP), is a common complication experienced by 50-90% of pregnant women in the early stages of pregnancy. While the effects of NVP on the mother’s physical and mental health have been studied, little attention has been given to its impact on the bond between mother and baby. A new study aims to explore the relationship between NVP and mother-to-infant bonding (MIB), as well as the role of postpartum depression in this relationship.

Study Details

The study analyzed data from the Japan Environment and Children’s Study (JECS), a nationwide birth prospective cohort study. The data of 88,424 infants and 87,658 mothers were examined. The participants were divided into four groups based on the severity of their NVP symptoms: No NVP, Mild NVP, Moderate NVP, and Severe NVP. MIB was assessed using the Japanese version of the Mother-to-Infant Bonding Scale (MIBS-J), while postpartum depression was assessed using the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS).

Findings

The analysis revealed that mothers with Moderate NVP and Severe NVP had a lower risk of MIB disorder compared to those with No NVP. The study also found that NVP had a positive indirect effect on MIB scores through postpartum depression, but a negative direct effect on MIB scores for women with Mild NVP, Moderate NVP, and Severe NVP.

Conclusion

While morning sickness may inhibit the development of mother-to-infant bonding through postpartum depression, mothers with Moderate NVP and Severe NVP were found to have a reduced risk of MIB disorder. It is important to develop effective interventions for postpartum depression to improve bonding among mothers experiencing NVP.

Background

Mother-to-infant bonding (MIB) is the strong emotional connection a mother feels towards her child while caring for them. This bond is crucial for the well-being of both mother and child, and has been shown to enhance the social and emotional development of infants. Mothers with a strong bond also experience greater happiness in raising their children. On the other hand, poor bonding has been associated with negative outcomes for the child, similar to child neglect or abuse. Studies have reported that a significant number of mothers experience MIB disorder, with prevalence rates ranging from 10-21% in Japan. The mother-child relationship in the first year after delivery is a key predictor of the child’s social relationship development later in life. The development of bonding starts during pregnancy and continues into early infancy, with antenatal bonding being positively correlated with MIB after delivery. It is important to identify the factors affecting mother-child bonding and implement preventive measures for MIB disorder.

Several factors have been identified as potential determinants of MIB, including maternal age, education level, household income, marital status, social support, number of previous deliveries, feelings about pregnancy, maternal personality, preterm birth, perinatal complications, and intimate partner violence. Mental health, particularly psychological distress and postpartum depression, has also been found to influence MIB development. Studies have shown that mothers with postpartum depression or depressive symptoms are more likely to have poor bonding with their infants. Nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, commonly known as morning sickness, can impact a mother’s physical and mental well-being during pregnancy and after childbirth. However, research on the relationship between morning sickness and MIB is limited. While hyperemesis gravidarum (a severe form of morning sickness) has been found to have a negative effect on antenatal bonding, this effect is temporary and disappears when symptoms subside. Mild to severe cases of morning sickness may be a risk factor for postpartum depression, which in turn affects the development of MIB.