Dad Depression Linked to Baby's Colic

07.01.09 Study finds excessive crying in infants more common in children of sad fathers.

Don't just blame mom! A new study in the journal Pediatrics found that a dad's state of mind can also lead to a crying, colicky baby, HealthDay News and Yahoo! News report.

Dutch researchers report a 30 percent higher risk for depression among parents whose infant cried excessively. (The study defined excessively as crying for more than three hours per day on more than three days per week.) Also, a dad with symptoms of depression was twice as likely to have an infant who cried excessively compared to a dad who was not depressed.

The researchers emphasized that this study shows how depression can lead to an infant's colicky crying, so a father's and mother's well-being should be taken into account.
 
We've heard of women having postpartum depression, but dads? Looks like it's more common than you would think. Fatherhood is hard—admit it! Check out our dad's survival guide to help you out.

Fatherhood isn't what it used to be, in every way possible. As our Ask the Labor Nurse blogger wrote recently: We're experiencing a fatherhood revolution!

Maria Vega is Fit Pregnancy magazine's copy editor.