Healthcare in Pakistan
Depression often starts at young age and affects women more commonly than men. One or two mothers out of 10 have depression after childbirth. Depression also limits a mother’s capacity to care for her child, and can seriously affect the child’s growth and development. A study showed that exposure to maternal mental distress is associated with undernutrition in 9‐month infants in urban Pakistan.
Fetal programming
Stress suffered by the mother during pregnancy can have an adverse effect on the developing baby; it can manifest in the form of early labor and low birth weight, and can also induce a risk for psychiatric complications later in life. The new mother may suffer from after-effects too, such as postpartum depression, and subsequently may find parenting more difficult as compared to those who did not experience as much stress during their pregnancies.