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.
Miscarriage and grief
Women who have miscarried report that they were dissatisfied with the care they received from physicians and nurses. One observer highlights the insensitivity of some health care providers when they approach the grieving mother "...by playing down her emotion as somehow an irrational response..." Clinicians may not recognize the psychological impact of the miscarriage and can "expect parents to move on with their lives."