New mums should go for walks in the park to slash their chances of developing ‘baby blues’, a study suggests.
Finding time to do an hour or so of gentle to moderate exercise a week could reduce the risk of postnatal depression by almost half.
It could also help reduce symptoms among new mothers who have depression or anxiety, researchers found.
Maternal depression and anxiety are relatively common after giving birth, often prompted by major physical and emotional changes associated with pregnancy and giving birth.
It can lead to reduced self-care and compromise caregiving and bonding between mother and baby, which can in turn affect the child’s cognitive, emotional, and social development.
University of Alberta, Canada, researchers examined 35 studies involving more than 4,000 women from 14 different countries.
They found exercising for at least 80 minutes each week could drastically reduce the risk or ease symptoms in those suffering.
Noting childbirth experiences can vary widely, experts said this should be balanced with their recovery.
They suggest restarting exercise with ‘gentle’ walks, which they can do with their babies, and then increase to ‘moderate’ activity such as brisk walking or water aerobics when they are ready.
This moderate physical activity could include brisk walking, water aerobics, stationary cycling or resistance training, according to a team of academics in Canada.
Starting exercise before 12 weeks after birth was linked to a greater reduction in depressive symptoms than starting it later, according to the findings published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
And the greater the exercise volume the greater the reduction in the severity of symptoms, the research found.
To reap the benefits of exercise, women should try and engage in at least 80 minutes of moderate intensity exercise each week and be moderately active on at least four of the seven days.
Some 275 women in the UK died during pregnancy or in the six weeks afterwards in 2020-2022, according to the latest MBRRACE-UK report.
And 31 of these deaths were attributed to mental health conditions.
Lead author Professor Margie Davenport, from the University of Alberta, said: ‘While historical recommendations suggest waiting for six weeks before starting moderate to vigorous intensity exercise, more recent work has suggested that early mobilisation and incorporation of light intensity physical activity such as gentle walking can facilitate postpartum recovery.’
‘Once (the mother) has recovered from labour and delivery, going for short gentle walks is encouraged.
‘Walking is a great way to get exercise, and it’s something you can do with your baby.’
She said it was important attention is paid to symptoms such as poor recovery after exercise which may mean that exercise is progressing too quickly.
She added: ‘Everyone’s ideal starting time will be different balancing the need to recover and heal from childbirth with readiness to begin being physically active to derive both physical and mental health benefits.’
