Introduction: Postpartum depression is a common mental illness that occurs in the postpartum period and is a major public health problem. Postpartum depression affects about 10 to 22 percent of women, and the number of patients suffering from this disease is increasing dramatically today. Postpartum depression affects both maternal and neonatal health and, in particular, their interactions. Problems caused by postpartum depression are most commonly expressed in maternal well-being and functioning, and are often associated with various problems with breastfeeding. Purpose: To present the impact of postpartum depression on breastfeeding. Methods: A descriptive research approach was used to review the literature on the impact of postpartum depression on breastfeeding. We reviewed and analyzed literature written in Slovene, English and Croatian, with freely available full text. We searched the literature using the DiKUL search engine and the CINAHL, Science Direct, and Medline databases from November 2018 to March 2019. Results: Many studies show that postpartum depression has a significant negative impact on breastfeeding, with the authors highlighting the impact of postpartum depression on the duration of breastfeeding. Postpartum depression has a lower hormone level of oxytocin and prolactin, which reduces milk production and inhibits the excretion of breast milk from the breast. Mother-to-child skin-to-skin contact is an extremely effective intervention in preventing and reducing postpartum depression. Discussion and conclusion: In the literature review, we found that postpartum depression had a significant negative impact on breastfeeding. Despite the consistent findings of most authors, some still claim that there is no association between postpartum depression and breastfeeding. Although the number of women suffering from postpartum depression is increasing dramatically, it is still poorly researched. In the future, more in-depth studies about postpartum depression, the impact of postpartum depression on breastfeeding and possible non-pharmacological treatment options would be needed.
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