The emotional state during cesarean section and vaginal delivery

Alterations in emotional, social, or psychological factors of a woman's life in postpartum could lead to impairing mood disturbances. Depressed mood in mothers in the first days after delivery is named maternity blues and accepted as a common phenomenon in the postpartum phase. The aim of the present study is to determine the mood of the women with pregnancy after delivery. After approval of Clinical Research Ethics Committee, this cross-sectional designed study was enrolled women in postpartum period who underwent vaginal delivery or cesarean section in Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Medical Faculty, Gaziosmanpasa University, Tokat, Turkey. All subjects were invited to complete the questionnaires including Pain Catastrophizing Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory and Short Form-36 in the first 24th hour of postpartum period. The lumbopelvic pain intensity associated with cesarean section incision or episiotomy was evaluated using visual analog scale. The mean age of the participants was 28.43∓5.14. In catastrophizing group, the mean role limitations due to physical health problems, Beck Depression Inventory-C, Beck Depression Inventory-S, Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory and visual analog scale in women with cesarean section, and general mental health in women with vaginal delivery were significantly higher compared to each other (p=0.037, p=0.002, p=0.003, p=0.01, p=0.042, p<0.01, p=0.005, respectively). The present study revealed that the psychological condition and quality of life of women may impair after cesarean section, hence it might be beneficial to provide emotional support for patients after cesarean section.