More women are seeking medical help for infant bonding disorders, says Nimhans

BENGALURU: Preethi (name changed) is well educated and enjoys an excellent bond with her elder child. But the birth of her second child changed things. She’s been struggling to strike an emotional chord with the newborn. Between feeding the baby and shopping, she chooses the latter.
A woman’s failure to establish a bond with her child is not a rare problem. Of late, more women are seeking help for the condition—mother-infant bonding disorder.
A new mother showing disinterest in playing with the child, failing to respond emotionally and not being concerned about feeding is not normal.Forget celebrating motherhood, some find it hard to bond with their babies. They often leave their babies in the care of family members. In extreme cases, they may reject the infant, though more commonly, they mechanically look after him/her.
Women with depression may also show lack of interest in the infant, but absence of emotional involvement is not just because of that. “Motherinfant bonding disorder is a worrying trend and many women hesitate to seek help as they fear being labelled bad mothers,” Dr Prabha Chandra, professor of psychiatry at Nimhans, said.
While the incidence of the disorder is 1% across the world, such cases contribute to 10% of the total cases the Mother and Infant Psychiatry Unit of Nimhans gets. The unit was started in 2004 when it reported 8-9 perinatal maternal care cases in a week. Now, the number has increased four-fold, with minimum 40-45 cases every week. Over 10% of them are related to bonding issues.
Dr Prabha Chandra, who heads the perinatal psychiatry unit, said such cases may have existed earlier too, but more women are seeking help now. “It’s not disliking; the mother fails to have a feeling for the child. The reasons could be the woman having a poor relationship with her mother, being in an abusive relationship, unwanted pregnancy or past and ongoing trauma,” she said.
Career stress, nuclear families and lifestyle
According to Dr Hema Divakar, former president, Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaecological Societies in India (FOGSI), some reasons for milder forms of this problem could be the fact that more women are now employed and career oriented. “In most cases, stress over who looks after the child in a nuclear family, hesitation to seek help from parents and in-laws and issues of living with in-laws pile up on a new mom. For some women, there will also be the stress of getting back to work after delivery,” she said.
Women not being screened post delivery is a drawback in the public health system, because of which post-natal psychological health is ignored, said Dr Ashlesha Bagadia, perinatal psychiatrist, Green Oak initiative, Annaswamy Mudaliar Hospital. Over one third of the cases she comes across pertain to mother-child bonding issues.
“While some reach out to us, many do not seek treatment. Women are most vulnerable to depression during post-natal period, especially if there are any unaddressed underlying issues. Women hesitate even to speak about such problems because of stigma. Nuclear family setup, maternal expectations and lifestyle are major concerns. In some cases, conception itself could be forced,” she said.
VIDEO THERAPY MAY HELP
Bonding interventions play a key role in improving the mother’s condition. They include video feedback intervention and encouraging a mother to get to know her baby, simultaneously providing her therapy for any past or ongoing trauma. Ten-minute videos of the woman’s interaction with the baby are shown to the mother, where she gradually gets to understand her infant’s cues and develops confidence. The Nimhans team also works with the patients’ families.