August 26, 2015
More support needed for pregnant mums
More focus is needed on both the mental and physical health of mothers to be, according to a Maori advisor to the Growing Up in New Zealand study.
New research from the long-running study shows one in eight New Zealand women suffer from depression during pregnancy, with the Maori rate significantly higher.
Te Kani Kingi says Maori are no more biologically inclined towards depression than any other ethnicity, so other environmental and social factors are contributing.
They may include mothers being alone and isolated, and often living in unstable conditions.
"One solution would be to provide a stable relationship, would be to provide that socioeconomic support, or would be to encourage partners to form a closer bond with hapu mothers and provide that peripheral support," he says.
Te Kani Kingi says antenatal depression can harm the continuing health of both mother and baby.
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