Flowers and Onions Blog

I say this with great respect for medical professionals. And it is due to this respect that I find it necessary to call attention to an unpleasantness in the healthcare profession. Some medical professionals have become overly desensitized to the point where they fail to evaluate all factors before making a diagnosis. This is especially seen in the more vague conditions such as depression, anxiety, or other adverse emotional disorders that a mother often experiences after a traumatic childbirth.

I have always had a huge place in my heart for mothers, especially expecting mothers. The miracle of child-bearing is an art-form that continues to improve with new advances in medical technology. That is why it is so disappointing that medical professionals have only just recently begun to improve maternal mental and emotional care for NICU (neonatal intensive car unit) mothers. Previously, if NICU mothers were diagnosed with depression, anxiety, or any other adverse emotional disorder, they would be treated for each of these conditions separately. A study conducted by Lisa S. Serge PhD and colleagues concluded that patients were most accurately diagnosed when all adverse emotional symptoms and risk factors were taken into account. This “multidimensional view of depression” should greatly influence the way medical professionals diagnose and treat their patients.

Many things can happen to bring a NICU mother into a deep depression or other adverse emotional state such as panic or anxiety. Traumatic births are something that no mother should have to experience, but despite recent efforts, about 2,740 newborns died per day in 2015. However, traumatic births don’t just include newborn deaths. The following also contribute to a traumatic birth:

• Death of the mother
• Injury to the mother or infant
• Prolonged, painful delivery
• Use of forceps, vacuums, or other instruments
• Cesarean section
• Loss of independence or control during the childbirth experience
• Fear of any or all of the above

To achieve optimal maternal care for all mothers, all and more of these factors have to be taken into account. It is not just a matter of looking at a piece of paper and assigning pain medications or antidepressants. Each childbearing experience is unique and deserving of the medical professionals’ utmost respect and diligence in treatment. It is also the responsibility of the medical professional to recognize when it may be a good time to take a step back and re-evaluate why they do what they do.

It is so easy to get caught up in the stress of the everyday life of being a medical professional and to become desensitized. But it is crucial to remember that the patients are not used to these conditions. Another stressful day at work for a physician, PA, or nurse may be a traumatic experience for a patient which may cause the day to become even more stressful. But before you try to push the patient’s needs onto someone else or try to rush into an overgeneralized diagnosis, take a step back. Look at the situation through the patient’s eyes and treat her like you would a loved one. That NICU mother in panic could be your sister who is about to lose your baby nephew in a traumatic childbirth. Or your daughter who delivered your severely premature grand-daughter. Or your wife who is fading fast.

References:

Gardener, P. S. (2003). Previous traumatic birth: An impetus for requested cesarean birth. The Journal of Perinatal Education 12(1) 1-5. doi:  10.1624/105812403X106676

(July 22, 2016). Maternal and newborn health. Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/health/index_maternalhealth.html

Segre, L. S., McCabe J. E., Chuffo-Siewert R., O’Hara M. W. (2014). Depression and anxiety symptoms in mothers of newborns hospitalized on the neonatal intensive care unit. Nursing Research, 63(5) 320-332. doi:  10.1097/NNR.0000000000000039