Well, could this be another "devalue the effect on breastfeeding Trojan
horse" that will get trotted out and given great press by those whose
agenda is furthered by their administration? Wouldn't it be great if
someone replicated this study with an additional group of mothers who had
had plenty of good prenatal classes and no epidurals, and see if trained
childbirth made a difference??? Were all of us who were given twilight
sleep and general anesthetics 50 years ago and separated from our babies
by cooping them up in the central nursery most of the day and night
depressed? Probably. But no one thought to research it. Just called it
"Baby Blues".

From eOB-GYN:

Epidural protects against baby blues
Source: Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica 2004; 83: 257-61

Investigating whether the receipt of sufficient pain relief during labor
decreases the risk of postnatal depression.
Mothers who do not receive pain relief medications while giving birth may
be at higher risk of developing postnatal depression, study findings
indicate.
Pauliina Hiltunen (Lahti Central Hospital, Finland) and colleagues
studied 185 patients who filled in the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression
Scale (EPDS) during the first week after giving birth and again 4 months
later.
The likelihood of high EPDS scores was calculated in relation to the mode
of delivery and the form of pain relief used during vaginal birth, after
adjusting for the length of labor.
Mothers who received an epidural or paracervical block during labor were
less likely to have depressive scores during the first postnatal week
than those who received no analgesia. This difference, however, was no
longer apparent at 4 months postpartum.
Elective or emergency cesarean section was not associated with increased
EPDS scores, either during the first week or 4 months after delivery, in
comparison with vaginal birth.
Based on their findings, Hiltunen and team conclude: "The mode of pain
relief during vaginal delivery seems to be associated with the incidence
of postpartum depression, especially immediately after delivery."

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