The relationship between birth memories and postpartum maternity blues

It is believed that how birth memories are stored and recalled in a woman’s mind is closely linked to her psychological well-being after childbirth. Therefore, the aim of this study is to determine the relationship between birth memories and postpartum baby blues. The descriptive study was conducted with 336 mothers. Data for the study were collected using the Personal Data Form, the Birth Memories and Recall Questionnaire (BirthMARQ), and the Postpartum Motherhood Blues Assessment Scale (PMBAS). Descriptive statistical methods, the independent samples t-test, one-way ANOVA, and multiple linear regression analysis to determine predictive power were used in the analysis of the data. It was found that the average age of the mothers was 28.27 ± 5.14, 49.7% were high school graduates, 45.2% had only one child, and 57.1% had given birth vaginally. The mean scores for the subscales of the BirthMARQ were as follows: Emotional Memory 10.90 ± 3.86, Ambivalent Emotional Memory 7.86 ± 2.72, Centrality of Memory 17.01 ± 5.24, Consistency and Reliving 23.04 ± 6.45, Sensory Memory 13.71 ± 6.39, and Involuntary Recall 6.02 ± 3.34. The mean total score on the PMBAS was found to be 52.70 ± 17.95. A significant positive correlation has been identified between all subscales of the BirthMARQ and the PMBAS. It has been found that the factors most strongly influencing maternity blues are, in order, Ambivalent Emotional Memory, Emotional Memory and Involuntary Recall ( p < 0.05). A positive correlation was found between birth memory intensity and maternity blues severity. Although causal inference is not possible due to the cross-sectional design, these findings underscore the importance of addressing negative birth memories in early postpartum care.