New moms speak out

Chicago Parent Staff
Thursday, April 16, 2009

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0-3 months
If things after baby arrives don't go exactly as you planned, you are not the only one.

• 1/3: Number of new moms surveyed who said that during the first two months after birth, their postpartum physical health (33 percent) or emotional health (30 percent) interfered with their ability to care for their baby.

• 61 percent: Number of new moms who had intended to exclusively breastfeed as they neared the end of their pregnancies. But just 51 percent were doing so a week after the birth.

• 79 percent: Number of new moms returning to work who said being apart from their baby was a major or minor challenge in their transition to employment.

• 26 percent: Number of new moms who reported experiencing lack of sexual desire six or more months after birth.

Source: New Mothers Speak Out, national survey by Childbirth Connection, www.childbirthconnection.org

This article appeared in the 2009 Spring edition of Chicago Baby.