Keywords

Acute maternity care, Hospital, New mothers, Perinatal nurses, Postpartum depression

 

Authors

  1. Logsdon, M. Cynthia PhD, APRN, FAAN
  2. Tomasulo, Roselyn MSN, RNC
  3. Eckert, Diane BSN, RNC
  4. Beck, Cheryl DNSc, CNM, FAAN
  5. Dennis, Cindy Lee PhD

Abstract

Abstract: In the western world, most women deliver their infants in a hospital setting. The purposes of this article are to provide guidelines and suggest best practices related to hospital-based care for postpartum depression by perinatal nurses; with this information, policies, procedures, and educational programs can be implemented to improve nursing care of new mothers. Hospital-based perinatal nurses need to "launch" new mothers from the hospital into the community so that the new mothers are prepared for self-monitoring for symptoms of depression, and know what steps to take if they do experience depressive symptoms.