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 A new OSU study of highly-educated, Midwestern women indicates new mothers who want to be seen as good parents post more pictures of their babies on Facebook. 
 
 
 
 Study author, Sarah Schoppe-Sullivan, says moms who posted frequent baby pictures looked for validation as parents. 
 
 "We also found that mothers who use Facebook more to show off their new babies had identities that were defined by motherhood. That motherhood was a very central part of their identities." 
 
 Shoppe-Sullivan says the study also found that mothers who posted most frequently reported feeling bad if they didn't get enough positive comments or "likes." 
 
 Hear Marilyn Smith's conversation with OSU Professor Sarah Schoppe-Sullivan.
– Baby pictures clogging up your Facebook feed could signal a new mom on a risky search for approval, according to a study of 127 working moms from Ohio. The fact that 98% uploaded photos of their baby to Facebook wasn't surprising. What interested researchers, however, was that those who posted photos and updates most often felt pressure to be a perfect mom, sought validation, and considered motherhood to be an important part of their identity, reports Mashable. A key indicator was using a baby photo as a profile picture—which almost 80% of study participants did. These women "felt validated when they got a lot of 'likes' and comments, but they were also more likely to feel bad and disappointed when the reaction wasn't what they had hoped," a researcher explains in a release. Sounds pretty harmless, right? Well, those same women were also more likely to experience "elevated levels of depressive symptoms" like restless sleep and a low appetite nine months after giving birth, co-author Sarah Schoppe-Sullivan tells WOSU. That doesn't mean new moms should steer clear of Facebook, which can help them find advice and support. But if a woman "doesn't get all the 'likes' and positive comments she expects, that could be a problem. She may end up feeling worse," Schoppe-Sullivan says. Because the study focused on highly educated working women who were predominantly white and married, the results might not be universal. But Schoppe-Sullivan stresses one point: "It's great to share stories and pictures of your baby, but relying on Facebook to feel good about your parenting may be risky." (Here's what insecure people post on Facebook.)