"Postpartum depression" rapidly increasing due to corona sickness "No one is left behind" January 21, 16:51
"I knew that the corona wreck would put my mothers in a difficult situation. I wouldn't leave any one behind. I'll definitely save." The
medical staff said at the forefront of the rapidly increasing postpartum depression.
I returned to work last year after taking childcare leave and have been covering this issue.
This time we interviewed the medical field that supports mothers.
I was confused and exhausted by the environment that changed drastically, and repeated trial and error.
(Reporter, Social Affairs Department, Hinako Fujita)
Email from the front line
Last October I wrote an article about postpartum depression.
The researchers reported that the effects of the new coronavirus could double the number of mothers who may have postpartum depression.
<WEB special feature "Postpartum depression" doubled-Don't suffer alone>
NHK received a lot of feedback, and some of them received an email from a medical institution saying, "Please come and see the site."
The sender is a staff member of "NTT Medical Center Tokyo" in Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo.
It was written that postpartum depression is actually increasing rapidly.
"Please come and see the site. I hope I can save as many mothers and children as possible and medical personnel by getting to know the trial and error so far."
Last November, I immediately visited the hospital.
Keiko Nagasaka, a maternity nursing specialist who mainly works in obstetrics and gynecology, responded to the interview.
He talked about the struggles experienced by the frontline staff.
At this rate, both mother and child and medical staff will collapse.
As of March last year, 12 services such as mother's class, parents' class, witnessed delivery and prenatal and postnatal mental care had been canceled at this hospital to prevent infection.
It is said that the site was confused because there were some things that were difficult to promptly inform and respond to.
Anxiety and complaints of pregnant women are also increasing.
It is said that Mr. Nagasaka's overtime hours have increased significantly, and in some months it has more than tripled from the previous year.
Keiko Nagasaka, a nurse specializing in maternity nursing at NTT Medical Center Tokyo
"To be honest, I can't remember how I worked. Not only are I busy, but people's values have changed, and I've always thought it was good. I can't do it. "
Midwives who snuggled up to pregnant women were also in distress.
It is said that all six outpatient midwives and nurses in the obstetrics and gynecology department had problems such as sleep disorders and headaches.
Yumi Kono, Midwife, NTT Medical Center Tokyo
"At that time, I was afraid of pregnant women. I often couldn't answer well about corona, so I looked back on each day with other midwives. I tried to support each other, otherwise my mentality was about to collapse. "
First of all, "30 seconds"
At this rate, not only the mother and child but also the medical staff will collapse.
The hospital felt that way, and decided to strengthen its efforts to support mothers before and after childbirth while giving consideration to infection prevention, and introduced new measures in April last year.
The first thing I worked on was "30-second risk screening."
This test takes about 30 seconds to determine if there are any problems such as anxiety or domestic violence, and is performed every time a pregnant woman is examined.
Check 8 items each time, such as whether you feel depressed or scared of what your partner says in the past month.
As a result, about 10% of pregnant women who underwent medical examination answered that they were "applicable" or "may be worried", which led to an early response.
Every time I was asked, I heard from pregnant women that it was easy for them to confide their concerns.
A woman who was screened
"If it applies, it's hard to say it if it's not asked, so I think it's a good idea to have it heard every time. It's less stressful for as short a time as possible."
Ms. Keiko Nagasaka, a nurse specializing in maternity nursing
"I didn't know if it would be better to put more load on the staff as all the staff were exhausted. Still, the midwife who was at the forefront agreed and was quick. The solution also had the advantage of reducing the burden of subsequent work. "
A busy midwife also "follows up for 2 weeks after giving birth"
In addition, we introduced "follow-up for 2 weeks after childbirth" from May the following year.
Two weeks after giving birth is a time when the mother's body and environment change drastically.
At this time, you can contact the mother who gave birth by phone or online to check if there is a tendency for postpartum depression and the health of the child.
It took some ingenuity for a busy midwife to take more time and start new care.
First of all, I started by creating a questionnaire to complete the confirmation in a short time.
Make it easy to answer "yes" or "no", and introduce questions that can easily evaluate the burden of childcare and feelings for the baby so that you can hear the mother's story within 15 minutes. I made it.
As a result, it is said that the number of mothers who have postpartum depression symptoms in the one-month postpartum medical examination has been reduced to about 10%, which is less than before Corona.
As the staff is exhausted, mothers' upsets are increasing rapidly
However, after that, these efforts were temporarily suspended.
As the exhaustion of staff became more serious, there were voices questioning the need for efforts within the hospital.
Then, the number of mothers who had postpartum depression increased rapidly.
Ten of the 28 mothers who underwent a one-month postpartum medical examination were said to have postpartum depression.
What was suppressed to around 10% by the efforts has tripled to more than 30%.
It is said that the burden on medical staff has increased as the number of cases in which care takes time has increased because some mothers shed tears and complained of problems.
When midwives in the field called for resumption and started the initiative again, the percentage of mothers who may have postpartum depression settled down to about 10%.
Keiko Nagasaka, a nurse specializing in maternity nursing at NTT Medical Center Tokyo
"It was amazing data. It is reassuring for someone to tell you that your childcare is correct and that it is okay. Especially, it is two weeks after giving birth. I feel that it is better to resolve it at an early stage. "
"Saved" for online care
Some mothers have been saved by the reopened efforts.
The story was told by a woman in her thirties who suffered from postpartum depression.
I gave birth to my eldest daughter at this hospital in October.
My husband couldn't even attend the birth.
My parents' house is far away, and my mother-in-law and mother-in-law who were supposed to come to help me after leaving the hospital could not come to Tokyo due to the influence of the new coronavirus.
The childcare leave that my husband had planned has also been shortened.
A woman suffering from "postpartum depression" "I
wasn't breastfeeding well, I wasn't feeling well, and I was in a very mentally unstable state. I couldn't sleep, I couldn't pass through food, and I didn't taste. Forgetting to put on, one person was weeping and cradling the baby. "
It is said that he could not afford to send SOS himself.
A woman suffering from "postpartum depression" "I think
all mothers should be doing their best. I felt guilty about thinking that raising children was difficult. I couldn't talk to myself, so I couldn't talk to myself. I was waiting for you
A familiar midwife contacted me online and I was able to talk face-to-face.
We received answers to each of our concerns, such as how to breastfeed and advice on not being able to sleep.
He said he was relieved and at the same time realized that he was depressed.
After that, he decided to go home to his parents' house.
He said he felt that relying more on others to raise children would lead to the health of the baby.
This interview also cooperated online from my parents' house far away from Tokyo.
A woman suffering from "postpartum depression" "
Even after returning home, I was helped by the whole family by having them follow me online again and continue to take care of me, which is not the end of my life."
At this hospital, it is said that "connection" after childbirth is important because of the corona illness.
Masatoshi Sugita, Director, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, NTT Medical Center Tokyo
"The hospital used to leave the hospital at the end of the birth. People who had no problems before lost their jobs due to corona stress, and their lives changed completely. Suddenly, I get a lot of stress. I hope there is a system that can help the hospital that gave birth until the child turns one year old. "
How to support the medical field
Following the second state of emergency, the environment surrounding prenatal and postnatal women may become even more severe.
The hospital's efforts we interviewed this time are one of the solutions.
However, many of the efforts were supported by the unimaginable dedication of medical staff.
Regarding efforts to support women after childbirth, the Maternal and Child Health Law was amended, and it is now obligatory for local governments to make efforts from April.
Some medical and public policy experts have said that public subsidies and human support for medical institutions should be expanded.
How do we proceed with postpartum depression measures without imposing an additional burden on exhausted medical institutions?
Now it's even more important.
Reporter of the Social Affairs Department
Hinako Fujita
Joined the
station in
2010.
After working at the Akita and Sendai stations, he was in charge of trial coverage at the Social Affairs Department.
Returned from childcare leave in July last year.