85 This association may depend on the protective effect of breastfeeding on maternal depression, as depression is the best predictor of child maltreatment and neglect. The impact of breastfeeding on the maternal attention sensitivity towards infant distress was also recently shown.86 Literature consistently shows that breastfeeding provides a wide amount of benefits for

both the child and the mother. The psychological benefits for the mother are still in need of further research. Despite the high rate of breastfeeding initiation, a large decrease in the number of mothers who breastfeed from the first few weeks postpartum is observed. Public TSA HDAC cost health authorities’ efforts to promote breastfeeding initiation have been successful; however, the same has not been observed Obeticholic Acid supplier regarding its maintenance for a recommended period

of time, which is for two years or more, and exclusively during the first six months.16, 17 and 18 Identifying the possible underlying factors to this situation is a goal for research in this field. Maternal mental health may be one of the reasons behind this reality. A recent empirical study conducted in Portugal suggests that screening for depression symptoms during pregnancy can help identify women at risk for early cessation of exclusive breastfeeding.30 There is now empirical evidence that pregnancy

depression is one of the factors that may contribute to breastfeeding failure.29, 30, 32, 33, 45 and 56 Studies suggest an association between breastfeeding and postpartum depression, and the direction of this association is still unclear. While Glutamate dehydrogenase some suggest a negative association between breastfeeding and postpartum depression,40, 41, 42 and 43 others point to a negative association between postpartum depression and breastfeeding.27, 46, 49, 52, 53 and 54 Results from several studies provide empirical evidence that breastfeeding may act as a protective factor for depression during the postpartum, improving both maternal psychological well-being (namely through the regulation of sleep and awake patterns13 and 14 and increased self-efficacy)45 and 73 and adequate parenting, through the enhancement of the emotional involvement with the infant,75 and 77 mother-infant interaction,45 and 83 attention sensitivity towards infant stress,86 and protection against child neglect.85 Breastfeeding can also protect women from depressive symptoms, by aiding the regulation of the HPA axis (throughout the regulation of diurnal basal cortisol secretion),8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 which has been consistently shown to be deregulated in the presence of depressive symptoms.