A、About half of the women being studied suffered from depression. B、Babies whose mothers had been depressed were more likely to

Some mental health research has linked depression in women with lower weight in their babies during the first year of life. They studied 632 women from small villages. The women were in good physical health and in the last three months of pregnancy.
    The study identified 160 of the women, or one in four, as depressed. They always felt sad or tired. They had problems eating or sleeping. They felt guilty and thought about killing themselves.
The researchers compared these women with 160 others who were not depressed. Health workers then weighed and measured the babies of both groups at birth. Re-examinations took place at two, six and twelve months of age. The health workers also re-examined the mental health of the mothers.
    Babies whose mothers remained depressed grew less than the babies of the other women. The babies of the depressed mothers were also more likely to get sick. Earlier studies showed that ten to fifteen percent of pregnant women and new mothers in Western nations suffer from depression. Other studies in South Asia have found that depression affects almost two times as many women in developing countries.
    A new program will be started to help these new mothers. In the program health workers will visit new mothers for up to a year. The workers offer advice about things like health and cleanliness. The health workers will also listen to the mother’s problems and suggest some easy things at first that she can do for her baby. The program will be tested for three years to see how well it succeeds.